MERVILLE, B.C. – A composting class is on the books this Saturday in Merville.
Learn about backyard composting and its benefits as well as the Speedibin Composter from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on July 21 at the Fireweed Farmstead, 6669 Island Hwy (west side of the highway between the Merville Store and the Merville Hall).
There will be demonstrations of the Speedibin Composter and information on how to successfully compost.
An educator from the Comox Strathcona Waste Management service will talk about sustainable gardening practices, including the use of composting to aid in a healthy garden and prevent organic waste from entering our landfills.
The class is free and open to the public.
The purpose of the event is to show people a few different ways that they can compost, as well as the benefits of composting in your garden, said Fiona McQuillan of Fireweed Farmstead.
“We have a comparison compost garden currently on our farm that really demonstrates how compost can improve your garden, (and) improve the yield of vegetables that you’re getting, but not only that, it makes it easier to work in the soil as well when you’ve got lighter, fluffier soil,” she added.
McQuillan said the thought of rats and mice crawling around in compost often turn people away from the idea of composting.
But, she noted, Speedibin Composter is vermin-proof.
Composting is also keeping a resource out of the landfill, said McQuillan: “It’s keeping this resource locally; it’s helping produce our own food whether you’re coming to a farm like us to buy it or you’re growing your own.”
Climate change is a big factor for composting, she said.
“Places that we traditionally get our vegetables from are facing the brunt of it right now, like California, so we all need to look at ways that we can increase our food production,” McQuillan said, “and composting is a simple way to do that – to use this resource and put it right back into the soil,”
