THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GREATER VICTORIA COMPOST EDUCATION CENTRE

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The secret to dealing with pests is prevention.

By sticking to reliable organic gardening practices

and working with nature, rather than against it,

you will have fewer pest problems and they will

be easier to manage. But you will never be able to

prevent all pest problems, so gardeners must learn

to recognize and control garden pests. Here are

some simple steps to follow:

Identify the problem. Sometimes, what we

think is a problem is actually part of the solution.

The arrival of pests often invites pest predators to

come and feast on the newly available food

source. Make sure you don’t mistake welcome

guests for harmful pests. Use the Common Pest

Problems section in our handbook, or take a look

at one of the Websites or books listed in the

Resources section to properly identify what the

problem is and what is responsible for it.

Watch the problem to see if it gets better or

worse. It’s a good idea to take some notes and

make some sketches to see how, or if, the problem

develops any further. We often don’t notice a

problem until after the pests have already left.

Monitoring the problem can give you valuable

clues about the pest, allowing you to apply

quicker control and take further preventative

actions.

Decide if the damage you have observed is

really a problem. Be observant and be realistic.

Without realizing it, people tolerate a certain

amount of pest damage because they don’t even

notice it. Set realistic limits on how much damage

you can live with. How serious the damage is

may depend on where it is on the plant. For

example, holes in apple leaves are far less of a

“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

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DEALING WITH PESTSReprinted with permission from Pesticide Free Naturally, Your Guide to Healthy Gardening by City Green. The

complete manual can be purchased from City Green or at the Compost Education Centre for $5.00 plus tax.

concern than holes in the fruit.

Only take action when the level of damage

demands it, and not just because it’s “that time of

year”. By regularly examining your garden, you

will know when it’s appropriate to take further

action.

Take Action if pest levels are causing unaccept-

able damage. Start with the non-toxic controls,

such as physical and mechanical controls, and see

if they work. Common physical controls include

mulches to smother weeds, yellow sticky traps to

control insects, as well as hoeing or hand removing

weeds, insects, and other pests. Controls may be

used alone or in combination for greater effect.

Check out the Common Pests Problems section in

our handbook to find out what actions are best

suited to the problem. If all else fails, select from

the few low-risk, non-toxic or least-toxic pest

control products available (such as Insecticidal

Soaps). Follow instructions carefully, and only

use as little as is necessary for the targeted

organism.

Review the results and continue to watch the

pest situation after treatment and keep notes on

successes or failures. At the end of the season,

evaluate what the pest problems were, what

prevention you used, what controls were required,

and what worked and what didn’t. You can then

start on a new prevention plan for the next season.

Resources: Adams, Robert and Gilkeson,

Linda. 2000. Integrated Pest Management

Manual For Home and Garden Pests in

British Columbia. Ministry of Water, Land,

and Air Protection.

Staff

Pauline Brest van Kempen

Louise Ditmars

Geoff Johnson

Lynn Marie

Contact us at

1216 North Park Street (at Chambers)

Victoria BC V8T IC9

Hours of operation

Wed. to Sat. 10 am to 4 pm

Closed on statutory holidays,

long weekends and the

month of December.

Phone: 386-WORM (386-9676)

Fax: 386-9678

E-mail: info@compost.bc.ca.

Website: www.compost.bc.ca.

Board of Directors

Angela Deering

Kathryn Cook

Colleen Loader

Donna Sanford

Tom Watkins

Pamela Dinn

Contributors to this issue of

THE LATEST DIRT

Pauline Brest van Kempen

Geoff Johnson

Lynn Marie

Louise Ditmars

City Green.

Newsletter Editor

Ray Turner

We gratefully acknowledge the core funding support that we receive from the CRD and the

City of Victoria. Additional support is provided by the Fernwood Community Association and

through the generosity of our Compost Club Members and the residents of Greater Victoria.

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“YOUR DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

Dear Readers,

For ten years, the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre

has been a leader in compost education. We are proud that we serve

ALL residents of the Capital Regional District through our hotline,

schools programs, demonstration gardens and composting

“wormshops”. Thousands of people learn about composting every

year through our programs.

At this time, we are facing a short-term cash flow problem as

we await $22,000 in anticipated funds from a key funder. We are

working on ways of bridging this funding gap and are asking for

your help.

What can you do? You can help by making a tax-deductible

donation to the Centre or by purchasing that composter or aerator

tool that you have always wanted. You can also purchase a Com-

post Club membership for a friend or family member. Inserted in

this newsletter is a membership application form and a place to

check off your donation amount. Visit the Soap Exchange, and raise

funds through your purchases (see page 4). You can pass along this

newsletter to a friend so that others may be informed.

What are we doing about our cash flow problem? We are

committed to delivering our important programs to the Greater

Victoria community. Volunteers and staff have been busy contact-

ing businesses, our partner organizations and other funding agen-

cies, seeking funds. Since May of this year, we have been to 19

outreach events, promoting ticket sales for our ten-year anniversary

fundraising raffle, which concluded with a draw on September 4.

We thank you for your support in the past and present. Together

we can continue to “spread the dirt” on composting!

Sincerely,

Lynn Marie

Coordinator

�

Do you have a goofy streak and enjoy working with kids? Do

you like handling worms? Would you like to learn to give a short

smell-and-taste tour of our gardens? We are seeking several

Elementary School Program Assistants to help out with our four

school programs. Call Lynn from Wednesday to Saturday to learn

more. Another volunteer opportunity is for site work keeners who

enjoy getting humus on their hands. Call Geoff, and he will show

you the wonders of weeding, watering and more in our organic fruit

and veggie gardens.

Phone: 386-WORM (9676)

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Compost Hotline: 386-WORM

Hours: Wed-Sat 10am-4pm

UPCOMING EVENTS

Compost Topic Facilitator Date

Club Forest Gardening Geoff Johnson September 28

Workshops Garden Planning Geoff Johnson October 19

Saturdays from 2-4 pm. Free for members and $3 for non-members

Topic Facilitator Date

Other Basic Composting Staff 1st Wed. every month, 7-9pm

Workshops Permaculture Geoff Johnson Oct. 12, 13, 14 (3 day workshop)

Pesticide Free Naturally Guest speaker Sept. 11, Oct. 9, 7-9pm

Call 386-9676 to register and/or for confirmation of dates and times.

Schedule is subject to change without notice.

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A diverse and productive organic veggie garden

is a very dynamic place. Soil, plants, insects etc,

and the tasks associated with them change con-

stantly throughout the year, and timing is very

important. That’s why the best way to learn

intensive organic food production is by involving

oneself in the garden’s entire annual lifecycle. This

year at the Compost Education Centre, we’re

running our first ever garden training program. For

two hours every Saturday afternoon from March

through October, six dedicated beginners engage

in guided hands-on learning in the organic veggie

demonstration garden.

By consistently revisiting and interacting with

the garden system over time participants can learn

about the details of organic gardening, and ulti-

mately how to fit them together to form the bigger

picture of efficient garden design. We’ve looked at

how to grow various vegetables, how to apply

various composting/ soil-building techniques, and

how to identify and control various pest insects and

diseases. We’ve also looked at methods to reduce

work, save water, and make the best use of limited

space. With experience and continued learning, a

sense of strategy will gradually emerge from this

knowledge. This awareness enables us to spread

our harvest throughout the year by blending a

productive summer garden into a productive winter

GARDEN TRAINING –

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

By Geoff Johnson

garden. It also enables us to avoid pest problems

and soil depletion by rotating crops effectively,

inviting beneficial organisms into the garden when

they are most needed, and setting up beneficial

relationships between plants.

By applying and experimenting with what they

learn to their own back yards, balconies, or allot-

ment gardens, participants can deepen their learn-

ing and further develop their self-reliance skills. By

the end of the program participants should have the

foundation of knowledge and experience they need

to design and manage their own diverse and pro-

ductive veggie gardens . They should be suffi-

ciently addicted to the joys of cultivating edible

eco-systems, and will hopefully have developed a

decent sense of humus. The plants may be annual,

but the learning is perennial.

Blossoming gardeners cultivate their skills in the Compost

Centre's gardens

THE LATEST DIRT is published quarterly.

The deadline for submissions for the fall issue is

November 10, 2002. Submissions to the newsletter

can be sent to the Compost Education Centre.

Unless otherwise noted, articles appearing in this

newsletter may be reprinted only in other not-for-

profit publications, with credit given to the author

(when named) and THE LATEST DIRT.

4 Printed on post-consumer recycled paper

Thanks to the generosity of the Victoria Foundation,

Woodsome Fund, a $5000 grant will be used to

distribute 250 worm composting bins to elementary

school classrooms in Greater Victoria. Students will

learn about the importance and methods of

composting and start their own worm composting bin

at school to recycle their lunch scraps.

THANK YOU FUNDERS

Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment Fund

for funding our Secondary Schools Program. With

the $3000 grant, students from Victoria High School

will be trained in the areas of composting and conser-

vation and then teach their peers in Greater Victoria

Schools the how-to’s and benefits of composting.

It is thanks to the Shell

Environmental Fund

that the Elementary

School Program will get

its own worms. A $500

grant to provide worms

to elementary class-

rooms will ensure that

these creatures work

their composting magic

for years to come, and

thereby reduce organics

going to the landfill.

The Soap Exchange is a locally owned business,

which provides environmentally sensitive, 100 %

biodegradable products that contain no animal by-

products, are not tested on animals and are made in

Canada. The Soap Exchange reduces the amount of

waste going to local landfill sites by recycling and

re-using all of their bulk packaging. They provide

many household cleaning products, as well as sham-

poos, essential oils and bath products. They also

offer dry cleaning and carpet cleaning services.

The Soap Exchange believes in supporting local

associations such as The Greater Victoria Compost

Education Centre. They will help raise funds for

compost education by returning 10% (in dollar

value) of all purchases made by Compost Club

members. When you make your purchase, just

mention that you are associated with the Greater

Victoria Compost Education Centre and consider

yourself have done your part to raise funds for the

important programs the Compost Centre offers! The

Soap Exchange is located at 1393A Hillside Avenue

(at Cedar Hill Rd.).

Store hours are Mon.- Sat. 9:30-6:00.

THE SOAP EXCHANGE

SUPPORTS US

THANKS

FOR YOUR DONATIONSWe wish to extend our sincere thanks to the following

people for their generosity in donating to the Centre.

Marlene Lovell

E.A. Chadwick

Jean Aarhoug

Kazuo and Kyoko Kusano

Jenica K. Waymen