For the love of compost

Compost Awareness Week gets gardeners revved up for this growing season

By Marie King

What has browns and greens and will provide an excellent source of nutrients for your garden this summer? International Compost Awareness Week 2010 took place from May 2 to 8. Throughout the week, celebrated green leaders and beginners alike took the opportunity to learn more about composting.

This year marked the fifteenth anniversary of Compost Awareness Week in Canada, headed by the Compost Council of Canada.

“More communities and enterprises are realizing that organic materials should be treated as resources rather than waste, providing the raw materials for the composting process,” said Susan Antler, executive director of the Compost Council of Canada.

MUN Botanical Garden (MUNBG), being one of the foremost entities promoting composting in St. John's, held a free lunch-time lecture series May 3 to May 7. The lectures were based around composting and getting a jumpstart on your summer gardening.

Joined by Cathy Parsons of the Multi-Material Stewardship Board (MMSB) and Mike Manning of Pippy Park, as well as employees of MUNBG, the lectures covered basic beginner steps, advanced topics for experienced composters, and a full hour session of Q and A with experienced gardeners.

All the lectures touched on the aspect of composting and gardening in Newfoundland. Being one of the southernmost extensions of the boreal forest, it is important to take into consideration our climate and soil conditions.

“We can keep our compost bins in the full sun here,” stated Parsons during her lecture, rather than partially in the shade, as is expected in many areas of mainland Canada.

“Composting really is where the garden got its start,” claimed Hannah Dickson, youth eco-education intern at MUNBG. “Not only does composting improve the state of your soil for gardening, but it cuts down on the amount of waste you are throwing in the garbage. About 30 per cent of our garbage is made up of organic material.”

While many gardeners long for the fertile, nutritious soil which can be gained from composting, there are composters who do it purely for the sake of natural recycling and cutting down on waste. In this way, composting is not restricted to gardeners alone.

During the week, MMSB also took the time to promote their Get to Half campaign. The campaign, which encourages households and individuals to cut down their garbage production by half, avidly promotes composting as a method of attaining this goal.

For tips on getting your own compost started, visit MUN Botanical Garden or the Compost Council of Canada website at www.compost.org. For more information on the Get to Half campaign, visit the MMSB website at www.mmsb.nf.ca.

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