Tips from today's Edmonton Journal

Two things I learned in today's Gardening section:

Steven Biggs says "buying new soil every time it gets hard is like buying a new car every time yours runs out of gas." A brilliant analogy I will use often. Compost, after all, is the fuel that drive plant growth. With Second Nature available at $6 per 30 litre bag, the price at the pump is just 50 cents per litre!

Thomas Christopher gives this wonderful tip about reducing your lawn's carbon footprint: "Once you start mowing do not back up or make turns so tight they require slowing down. Let your mower decide the shape of your lawn and when you are done mowing remove the areas that were not cut." Elimiating little corners and areas we need to go over again and again, either with the mower or whipper, greatly reduces our energy consumption.

May Outreach Activities Blossom!

Since we graduated our 2011 class, requests for master composter/recycler volunteers have skyrocketed! This weekend will be the third one where we have had at least three outreach events happening at the same time. On both Saturday and Sunday, volunteers are at the Muttart Conservatory promoting composting and grasscycling to visitors to the Annual Plant Sale.

On Saturday we are at City Hall for the Biodiversity Day Event where there will be live music, a puppet show, presentations, workshops and booths. Also, Saturday is the North Glenora Reuse Fair.

On Sunday, besides being at the Muttart Conservatory, we are also at Primavera at Santa Maria Goretti Centre and at the Sherbrooke Stalk Exchange. All three places have plants, seeds, information booths that will help you get ready for the upcoming growing season!

Thanks to all our busy volunteers for helping make these things happen! Even if you are not volunteering, plan to drop by and enjoy one or more of these events!