Skyrocket Mix

We were talking about the soil we have which is named Skyrocket. As the website said it is a bit too rich to use full strength. Alisa says when the village uses it for  beds she mixes it half and half with compost. That will be our plan for beds at the community garden.

Many people who are participating in the survey are showing enthusiam for the community garden. It's nice to hear a postive reaction to the idea.

Survey Begins

The surveying officially began Monday, February 22. The surveyors are working hard. They have returned for more surveys and more seed prizes already. One ran into someone bringing their completed survey back to the building centre. Encourage everyone you know to complete the survey and have their say in future actions.

Looking to start a worm farm!!

I for one am going to research worm farming in my back yard. I think I can build something out back and get some red wigglers out there that will break down the compost after I process it in the compost bin. Anyway, I am willing to learn and I have lots of time to do so.
I just can't wait to get growing. I would like nothing better than to see a decrease in those garbage bags also. Compost, Compost, Compost....Recycle, Recycle, Recycle...I think this is what we have to work towards.
Remember....don't throw it ...grow it!
Tena

About the soil

Is this the soil we have? (Yes, it is Skyrocket.)

skyrocket

It has a small amount of information on the analysis of the soil. i noticed we are supposed to mix it with existing soil, it seems.

Here's what it says from the Comox Valley Regional District website:

Skyrocket Compost

"SkyRocket has been screened to remove excess wood waste and tested for pathogens, nutrient value, moisture, pH and metals content. Test results meet the stringent Class ‘A’ requirements of the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation of the Provincial Environment Ministry.

SkyRocket has been used in land reclamation and slope stabilization projects, tree plantings by the Ministry of Transportation, and has been applied to enrich and amend soils on Vancouver Island.

Use of the product

SkyRocket is ideal for use in large scale landscaping and planting projects and can also be used for residential landscaping, orchards, flower gardens and lawns.

Due to nutrient levels in this product, SkyRocket should be used as a soil conditioner or supplement, rather than as a topsoil or fertilizer. It can be applied annually or as recommended by soil analysis. As when using any manure product, hands should be washed after applying or handling the product."

Square Foot Gardening

I ordered a book called Square Foot Gardening. It looks like an interesting way to do raised beds. When it arrives, I will be happy to share it with others. It looks simple.

More Authors Welcome

Yesteday I, Stephanie, figured out how to give others authoring rights on this site. I emailed to all garden members in my address book. If you want to write on this blog just email or call me and I will add you to the list.

Village Council Informed of Survey

Last night, February 16th, a delegation from the garden group went to council to inform them the door-to-door survey work would begin on the 22nd. The presentation was well received and the council had some worthwhile questions.

I am not entirely certain but I think that heap of dirt was arranged for by the mayor and for the use of the community garden project... my recollection...and remember I'm an old woman with swiss cheese for a brain...is that Campbell River has a very modern sewage treatment/waste composting integrated system which turns out near mountains of rich black soil weekly... and while this soil might not need much by way of manure or compost to begin with , it would be helpful if VIHA could do soil sample tests on it.

Some thirty years ago, perhaps more, Millwaukee produced a fertilizer "Milorganite", and, at the time, it was all things plus a bag of chips in the garden and nursery world. My brother-in-law ran Long Lake nurseries , near Nanaimo, and he said Milorganite would "grow roots on a varnished stick"... and all was well for a while, incredible crop yeilds, everybody happy, well I should say..and then the heavy metals content made itself known...and suddenly my garden was no longer producing food fit for human consumption. Well, it made for the greenest section of the enlarged lawn but Milorganite could only be used on golf courses, not even on playgrounds where small kids might roll and frolic on the heavy metal laden grass...

So with that horror show managing to survive in the wreck of my brain, I am a tad leery of the soil from the CR experiment...heavy metals might be present because storm drains wind up going through the same system, and storm drains get the heavy metals from road exhaust...plus people aren't always good about sending chemical crap down the drains or flushing who knows what down the toilets and ...soil sampling would be helpful...

There is, however, a LOT of soil out there and I think we can get more.

And we're looking for ways and means to increase our village composting, we have some ideas and it would be helpful if people could put forward some of their ideas...we have that recycling effort trying to go but one does wonder about ones overall "carbon footprint" when all the stuff needs to be trucked out to Campbell River...that's a lot of diesel fuel being burned...my suggestion has been to get a shredder/chipper and send our paper and cardboard through it, add it to the village compost, worms love the stuff and you never have too many worms...we could probably do the same kind of thing with glass and either use it in the landfill or barge it out to the trench, dump it and let it go back to what glass started out as, sand...

The real villain is plastic. Those white grocery bags do not add to the ambiance as they flap from the branches of the trees out near the dump.