Wednesday April 10, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
It was outdoors on a busy Saturday that a good handful of folks turned up for the Soil Quality Workshop in Langford last weekend.
Organized and hosted by Mary Brooke with a Neighbourhood Small Grant from The Victoria Foundation, the two-hour session held on April 6 in the covered picnic-table area at Pexsisen Elementary School reached serious gardeners.
Mary Brooke thanked The Victoria Foundation for their neighbourhood-building aspect of their individual grant program and made some brief remarks about the trend to at-home gardening and the nutritional benefits of home-grown food.
Langford city councillor Mary Wagner thanked Mary Brooke for organizing the workshop and promoting food-growing within Langford. The City of Langford is working on launching its first food-growing community garden within the urban area of downtown Langford.
Participants from the west shore area:
Some of the attendees considered themselves beginners at food-growing, but most had their own hands-on experience with growing edibles in their own backyards.
Participants had some keen questions for the two speakers who are soil experts: Kane Chandler-Symons of The Soil Guy (a trained Soil Lab Technician) and Michaila Frawley of Sooke Soil and Landscape Ltd (degree in biology from Queen’s University in 2018 and now a master gardener in training).
Attendees came from within Langford and also from Colwood and Sooke.
There were refreshments and informational handouts, as well as free soil samples to take home and a prize draw for two winners to take home large bags of sea soil.
Soil quality for natural food:
Food-growing is happening in-ground as well as in raised beds, containers and pots.
Soil is the source of nutrition for plants. Plants are a key nutrient source for people. It’s fun to grow food but also offers the opportunity for more optimal nutritional status for families, while reducing the GHG transportation footprint (compared to shopping at the grocery store).
Good quality food in people’s diets is a key part of short-term and long-term health and wellness.
Free soil:
People who participated in the April 6 Soil Quality Workshop were the lucky recipients of some free good-quality soil to take home from the event.
The prize draw was a giveaway of Sea Soil — one bag to each of two winners, courtesy of GardenWorks Colwood.
Stay connected:
The idea of growing natural food by households is also supported by the Urban food Resilience Initiatives Society (UFRIS) which is based out of Langford.
If you’d like to be informed about future upcoming workshops (some are free, some will have a participation fee), please email to urbanfoodresilience@shaw.ca or send a text message to Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society at 250-588-7091.
===== BACKGROUND:
HOST: Mary P Brooke has a B.Sc. in foods and nutrition and a certificate in public relations. As an urban food consultant she is taking leadership with the goal of seeing more natural food grown by households, around neighbourhoods, and across communities. Along with two other community leaders she recently launched the Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society to activate more food-growing infrastructure in urban areas. Many of you also know Mary from her journalism work in the west shore where she reports on news of south Vancouver Island including food security and the broader socioeconomic trends that impact households and communities. > marypbrooke.ca | urbanfoodresilience.ca
SPEAKER: Michaila Frawley graduated from Queen’s University in 2018 with a degree in Biology, and spent five years working in testing and research laboratories as a microbiologist, before moving full time to Sooke Soil alongside her father and brother. At Sooke Soil she can be found managing the worm bins, helping gardeners and landscapers choose soils and amendments, and conducting soil analysis at her testing laboratory. In her free time she is passionate about growing and preserving food, and learning more about gardening and landscaping as a master gardener in training. > sookesoil.com
SPEAKER: Kane Chandler-Symons is a trained Soil Lab Technician with his own company The Soil Guy. He harnesses the power of soil microbiota to transform the health of soil and plants. Following the principles of the Soil Food Web he produces balanced and tested probiotic solutions that reduce weeds and pests, while increasing aeration, water retention, and yield. A landscaper by trade, he is passionate about bringing non-toxic, all-natural solutions to farmers, gardeners, and home-owners. Working in harmony with nature doesn’t mean sacrificing yields or aesthetics when you go organic! > thesoilguy.ca
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