Events

Urban Soil Management - Session 4

Presented by the SPEC-YWCA Urban Farmer Field School, a program that emphasizes sound practices, experiential education and participation.

Healthy soil is the root of all successful farms and gardens. A good understanding of basic soil science will help you make important decisions about choosing the right plants for your location, improving your soil's drainage and water retention, and increasing fertility.  This class will cover the challenges and benefits of our regional soils, fertility and amendment, drainage, mulch, compost, and soil types and textures, quality assessment, and urban concerns such as contamination and compaction.  Students will get hands-on experience with taking soil samples, and interpreting a soil fertility test.

Instructors
Chris Thoreau holds a BSc. in Agroecology from UBC where he focused on soils, small-scale plant breeding, and urban farming. Previous to his time at UBC he operated Influence Organics, a one-acre certified organic farm on Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula. Here Chris focused on utilizing no-till and permaculture principles to grow a variety of vegetables for local markets, CSAs and restaurants. Chris currently operates My Urban Farm - a bicycle-powered urban farm in Vancouver that specialized in microgreens, and co-owns Your Local Food Pedalers.  He is also an IOIA-trained organic inspector.

Alisha Hackinen is a long time student at UBC having completed her BSc in Global Resource Systems there in May 2009. While in her undergraduate years, Alisha had the opportunity to intern with several small local scale organic farms which drove home the message that soil management is foundational to the health of our community and our planet. She is currently pursuing her M.Sc. in Soil Science in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, under the supervision of Dr. Maja Krzic. Alisha’s research will combine two fields which she is passionate about, soils and education, by examining teaching methods in sustainable soils management.

4 Wednesdays, May 2, 9, 16, and 23
6:00-9:00pm
YWCA Metro Vancouver, 535 Hornby Street
Cost: $144.00

*Sign up for the Food Systems Package and receive this course and Climate Change and Food Security at 15% off.

To register: http://www.spec.bc.ca/events?eventId=459692&EventViewMode=EventDetails