There are many ways to enrich soil. The most common are compost and fertilizer. Bowen Agricultural Alliance (BAA) is presenting an event on Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ruddy Garden (511 Sunset Road) to examine some of the details of compost and other nutrient mixtures. A high quality soil conditioner from Transform Compost (transformcompost.com) will be for sale by the yard at the event. Details and pre-orders are available on the BAA website: http://www.bowenagalliance.ca.
Bowen Island has a great variety of nutrient rich amendments that are available locally if you ask around, and BAA is not trying to replace those. In fact, we are trying to create greater awareness of our organic waste stream, and how we can harness the benefits of what is currently getting trucked off the island.
Soil scientist Dr. John Paul Ph.D. P.Ag. has been involved in compost research since 1985. He is also the co-author of the Compost Facility Operators Manual. John will speak about the importance of recycling organic matter, and how we might handle it if we keep it on the island.
From June 2012, no organics will be permitted in the garbage on Bowen. Whether you expect to compost at home or pass along your organics for municipal handling, it is useful to keep in mind the nutrient potential of the resource.
Fertilizer is a broad term that can apply to any combination of mined or synthesized minerals and nutrients that are intended to enrich soil for greater productivity. Cathy Buchanan has experience with sourcing the best (non-synthetic) ingredients and will demonstrate how to mix them to the correct proportion for the time of year.
The Ruddy Potato Garden and Kitchen continue to support the agricultural community by hosting this event. They have kindly offered the use of their space and have arranged for the restaurant to be open.
