Breaking ground in your own backyard

by JYOTI STEPHENS

I don’t have the greenest thumb. In fact, it’s more a shade of brown—akin to the colour of dirt, which, come to think of it, might actually be a good thing. But this spring, I’m digging in to claim my first backyard garden plot.

I’m taking my cue from “guerrilla” gardener Justin Tilson, who’s actively engaged in getting us to think about growing our own organic food in our own urban environment. Most of us have now heard of the 100-mile diet, but how many of us are familiar with the one-mile diet? It’s Justin’s contention that we’re massively disconnected from the food we eat, and that there’s a real and palpable yearning to reconnect to both the people who grow our food and the land on which it’s grown. Starting a small organic vegetable garden of your own can be a great way to re-establish this connection.

Justin, who heads up the guerrilla gardening group Urban Acres, which plants plots in vacant lots in False Creek, has become something of a gardening guru. He looks at bare, weed-spotted spaces and envisions verdant cradles of food. He says the first step in establishing your own garden is to find a sunny spot.
Your garden may be as small as a balcony, as big as your backyard, or a part of one of the many community gardens springing up around the Lower Mainland. If you lack these options, another creative idea is to connect with Vancouver Sharing Backyards, which, through its website, hooks up people who have backyards with those looking for space to garden.

If you’re just starting out, it’s always good to start small; a small raised bed can be a great place to get your hands dirty. The basic tenet of organic agriculture is “take care of the soil and it will take care of you.” So create a haven for earthworms; they’ll do your cultivating and leave behind rich worm “castings”—the best organic fertilizer you could ever find. Also, find some great fertilizer, whether it be well-composted barnyard manure or compost from your kitchen scraps. Dig this into the soil in your vegetable bed and let it sit for a couple of days before starting to plant.

The UBC Botanical Garden website has suggestions for what to plant month by month. As we head into May, think about sowing pole bea
ns, turnips, bush beans, and corn. Justin suggests that choosing plants that are your favourites, and learning about companion planting and natural methods of building soil fertility, will increase your odds of success.

If you’re able to grow more than you can eat, consider sharing your surplus bounty with neighbours in need. The Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project will take your extra fruits and veggies and donate them to organizations like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Finally, if building a vegetable garden from the ground up just isn’t your thing, consider enlisting the help of a professional to help get one established. Companies like City Farm Boy will help you build your first planters to get you started on your urban farming journey.

Jyoti Stephens is sustainability and stewardship manager for Nature’s Path. Her summer plans include greening her thumb.

Saving Vancouver from wasting away

I smell the dumpster before I see it. Rotting produce spills over the sides, mountains of cardboard boxes deteriorate below. Quick! Somebody call the compost police!

As the former Compost Hotline operator for the City, I’m shocked by this waste of such a rich resource. I’m also keenly aware that Vancouver is in a pickle over what to do with its 3 million tonnes of garbage now that the Cache Creek Landfill is full. But I smell opportunity for more composting.

Imagine this: more than 20 per cent of garbage is compostable organic material, yet only about half of that avoids the landfill—mostly through recycling and backyard composting. Now, with Vancouver’s new Zero Waste Challenge, the goal is to reach 70 per cent.
Last year, the Vancouver Food Policy Council (VFPC) compiled a report identifying opportunities and barriers for the recovery, reuse, and recycling of food. The focus was on retail grocers, restaurants, institutions, food processors, and charitable food providers. Several inspiring case studies emerged.

Take UBC. Since 2004, the university has been composting approximately 1,900 tonnes of waste each year on campus, including paper products, animal waste, wood, yard waste, and food waste from residences and dining rooms. The compost is used to fertilize the grounds, which is better for the environment than chemical fertilizers and saves the university money. UBC reports its solid waste management plan is becoming more sustainable and cost-effective every year; trips to the landfill, the wood waste recovery plant, and an off-site composting facility have been reduced by 54 per cent.

Safeway is another standout. One of the largest grocery retailers in North America, Safeway gives $10 million worth of food annually to B.C. food banks. They also compost their produce, unpackaged bakery items, and floral waste. In rural areas, farmers pick up waste from Safeway for their own compost or for animal feed.

Like Safeway, most of the retail and restaurant outlets surveyed were already giving edible food away. But few stores were composting, as most were unaware of their options. Some felt they had too little waste to compost, and it wouldn’t be worth the time and cost. Still others were worried about how to safely store smelly food waste before pickup day. But good news abounds: Superior Disposal Ltd. (604-718-7878) will pick up commercial organic waste in any quantity, and Smithrite Disposal Ltd. (604-529-4030) provides a similar service.
Meanwhile, the VFPC report recommends the City’s Compost Hotline services, which currently focus on backyard composting, be expanded to the commercial sector to support businesses that want to compost.

Here’s what you, the consumer, can do: support grocers who compost and tell them you appreciate their efforts. If your local grocery store doesn’t compost, encourage them to start. Also, watch for the “Green Table” sticker in restaurant windows—it means they compost, too.
And the waste you generate? You can do your part by composting your own food scraps and yard trimmings. If you don’t already have a backyard bin (or a worm bin if you live in an apartment), call the Compost Hotline (604-736-2250) to sign up for a composting demonstration by City Farmer, Canada’s experts on urban agriculture (cityfarmer.info).

They’re not quite the compost police, but they know all about serving and protecting the planet.

Spring Gillard has been known to make random compost bin checks at the homes of unsuspecting family and friends. Read her Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator, Edible Essays of City Farming (New Society, 2003).

Spring Gillard has been known to make random compost bin checks at the homes of unsuspecting family and friends. Read her Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator, Edible Essays of City Farming (New Society, 2003).