DIY Lawn to Garden

On Vancouver Island we grow less than 10% of our food supply. The other 90% (more during winter) is brought in from off island. As extreme weather events increase, so does the potential for disruptions in the supply chain. This has huge implications for access to food in our communities. Turning your lawn into a garden is an incredibly rewarding way to increase your food security. There are so many benefits to gardening, and fresh fruit and veggies is just one of them. A garden can also build soil to better withstand extreme rain and drought events, capture carbon, create wildlife habitat, and bring joy and connection to land and environment. If you would like to see your grass become a garden but don’t know where to begin, this workshop is for you. Topics covered include prepping your site, sheet mulching, possible soil contamination/bringing in new soil, garden infrastructure and irrigation, and getting started growing food. Prepare your yard this winter and be ready to plant come spring.

Bio: Stephanie Jacobs is an urban homesteader and the owner of Fireweed Farms. At her home on a small city lot she grows fruit, vegetables, medicinal plants and raises hens. Her farm is located on the unceded territories of the Tseycum First Nation in what is now called North Saanich. The farm is ¼ acre of mixed vegetable and medicinal herb production, as well as a plant nursery. Stephanie is also a certified Organic Master Gardener, a herbalist, a mother, and a climate and local food activist. Her goal is to help our community become stronger and more resilient as we face the increased impacts of climate change.”

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Proof of COVID vaccination is required if you are attending in-person.

If you are attending a workshop in person, any health and safety protocols will be emailed to you 24 hours in advance. The workshop may be hosted outside, please dress appropriately for all types of weather!

If you are attending a workshop online, zoom meeting details will be emailed to you 1 hour before the workshop starts. If you do not see the email, check your junk folder.

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Only current members in good standing are eligible to use the free ticket option as a part of their member benefits package.

There are a limited number of Pay What You Can tickets available for folks who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) or people who are facing significant financial barriers to participating in our programming. The Compost Education Centre is in the process of examining the ways in which our program accessibility can be improved for all members of our community. This ticket gesture is by no means a fulsome examination of the systems of oppression that exist for people inside and outside of our community. We welcome your ideas and feedback.

Please pre-register for this event.

Customers can request a refund within 30 days of ticket purchase. After 30 days refunds and workshop exchanges are not permitted due to administrative staffing capacity. Please be in touch if you are no longer able to attend but hold a ticket so we can make your space available to someone else.

You can also register for the event by calling our office at 250 386 9676 or via email by contacting office@compost.bc.ca

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Accessibility Info: The Compost Education Centre site has paths made of gravel (20%), and wood chips (80%). Mobility devices with wheels (such as wheelchairs, walkers etc.) are sometimes difficult to use on site, especially on the gravel paths.

There is a single-stall gender neutral washroom on site. The washroom is not wheelchair accessible and has a small step up from the gravel pathway, and another small step up from the washroom boardwalk.

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The Compost Education Centre is located on unceded and occupied Indigenous territories, specifically the land of the Lekwungen speaking people—the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. These nations are two of many, made up of individuals who have lived within the porous boundaries of what is considered Coast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwakwa'wakw Territory (Vancouver Island) since time immemorial. At the CEC we seek to respect, honour and continually grow our own understandings of Indigenous rights and history, and to fulfill our responsibilities as settlers, who live and work directly with the land and its complex, vital ecologies and our diverse, evolving communities.

Compost Education Centre memberships get you free workshops, discounts at garden centres around town and more great perks! Sign up or learn more on our website.