Category Archives: Past event

Getting Down and Dirty – Old Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food Security

What are you interested in?
In this hands-on workshop you can help prep a row so you have an up close look at Permaculture and what a difference it makes to creating healthy, living soil.
You’ll peer through a magnifying glass to understand what living soil really is.
You’ll have an opportunity to make tea and can even buy some to take home.
You’ll finally get an answer to the makeup of the soil in the valley and solutions with rock dust for balance PH.
You’ll see with your own eyes the difference of the nutritional value of what is grown in a Permaculture crop compared to store bought.
Hugelkultur bedYou may even get to help build a Hügelkultur bed.
Groundswell members: $20; non-members: $30
Date: was Sunday, 2023 May 7
Time: 10 – 12
Location: Old Blue Truck Farm
What to Bring: Wear grubbies, comfy shoes that can get dirty, garden gloves, water bowl and your garden journal (if you don’t have one you can buy one there for $10 (cash).
Facilitator and Host: Dale Wilker

Event photos and comments:
Old blue truck farm workshop/tour. The tips and the learning never stopped, as we created living soil and planted the first seeds of the season.
“I always learn new things and I have been gardening for 40 years. Dale has so much knowledge to move us to a gentler way with the earth and then the earth gives us more back.” – Jim.

Old Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food SecurityOld Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food SecurityOld Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food SecurityOld Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food SecurityOld Blue Truck Farm – Dealing with Food Security

Literally… EARTH DAY!

Help make Invermere a soil & food healthy community!

“We don’t have a fertility issue on our planet, we have a biology issue”.

Her most exciting accomplishment to date is seeing one of her clients apply vermiextract on a section of their sand “lawn”, cover with rotting hay, and in a short 18 months the micro-organisms and weeds made 1″ of beautiful soil – Soil scientists say it takes 100 – 500 years to make 1″ of soil

Better than a garburator, friendly than fertilizer, and the best kitchen cleaner ever… worms.
Learn how to feed & grow healthy soil, using composting worms, so your soil produces the best nutrient dense foods using your home wastes!
Save hundreds of thousands of pounds of food waste that go to landfills.

Date: April 22, 2023
Time: 1 to 3 PM
Location: Groundswell Community Greenhouse 1535 14th Street
Price: Members: $15. Non Members: $25

Special guest facilitator:
Owner and Soil Microbiology Consultant –
Susan Panyluk
Kootenay Worm Composting

Susan Panyluk

‘The Worm Lady’, Susan is passionate about composting worms, recycling, garbage and soil microbes that build soil with the plants!
Susan is an avid student of “Life in the Soil” microbiology, with the help of her microscope, and soil regeneration practices. She has studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham, world renowned Soil Microbiologist, Gabe Brown and many others. Susan is an international Advisor, Consultant, and Educator, and has consulted to the three largest commercial worm farms in North America.

Topics will include:
Waste Management, Food Nutrient Density/Food Security, Worm Anatomy, Building Healthy Soil, Caring for Worms, Worm System Maintenance, Breeding of worms, Harvesting castings, Use of castings for planting/watering , Vermi teas/extracts, Sustainability

Own Your Own Worm Hut
After twenty years of worm composting, experimenting and testing many different systems, Susan invented the Continuous Airflow “Worm Hut”. This system provides optimal airflow and moisture management, easy to use, and most importantly is super easy to harvest.
These systems will be available for purchase at the session with profits going to Groundswell for their education programs.

• Worm Huts – 135.00
• Worms in Living Soil mix – Small bag (approx. 1,000 worms); 60.00 and Large Bag 175.00 (approx. 3,000 worms which is recommended for the Worm Hut).

Take home your own nutritious compost for the best garden ever.
• 20 lb bag of vermicompost for planting/watering 40.00

Thinking of building a Greenhouse

Thinking of building a Greenhouse – like to learn more of the pros and cons?!
greenhouse
From the school of hard knocks come the stories of those who have been enjoying more produce over a longer season – stories of gardeners who pulled a few windows together, to a semi permanent plastic tube, to a 3 season permanent structure, to a year round greenhouse – from electrical, to solar, to geothermal, to sun only – all the possibilities, all the decisions needed to match your needs, time and wallet.

Panelists – Deb Griffith (long time valley gardener), Jim Bennett (new greenhouse owner who discovered the value of focusing on foundation), Dale Wilker (growing naturally for profit), Sabrina Boileau (greenhouse expert, and new Home Hardware Greenhouse Supervisor).
They’ll cover the whole gambit. And answer your questions.
You’ll have time to discuss your own ideas and needs. You’ll get feedback from each other and the experts.
Hot cider and cookies and lots of conversation will help cement those dreams of more food for your table and more food to share.
greenhouse
Date: March 2, 2023
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 PM
Location: Home Hardware
Facilitator: Panel and Small Group Discussion **Demonstration of some greenhouse options
Cost: Members (Premium and Regular) – $20. Non-members – $30.

Home Hardware and Groundswell Community Gardens and Greenhouse
Partnered for Food Sustainability for the Valley.

Create Your Own Vermicompost

Looking for a worthwhile and fun activity to do with your children?

Young or Old Wiggle Away
Create Your Own Vermicompost

Do you want to do a bit for climate change?
Do you want to help the gardens around you be healthier?
Do you hate wasting kitchen scraps? …And hey, you will also be reducing the cost of garbage pickup.

vermicompostJoin Landon as she helps you create your very vermicomposter, a box of red wriggler worms that eat up compost and give worm castings that are great for the garden. The worms are very low maintenance and help prevent food waste. All materials provided, worms included!

Facilitator: Landon Dales
Date: Feb 25, 2023
Time: 10 AM to 12 PM
Location: Groundswell Community Greenhouse
Attendee: Adults and children over age 8 accompanied by an adult.
Cost: Members (regular and premium) $35.00, non members $45.00 – you will go home with your own very sanitary wormary that you will enjoy using for years to come and your own and your neighbour’s gardens will flourish.

Things to bring: your waterbottle, we will supply gloves and all materials including the worms. You will go home with your own wormary.

After event update:

Landon Dale was up to his elbows in worms and quickly had everyone build their ow worm composters which will save thousands of pounds of kitchen waste from the landfill.
Each participant took their own wormery home and will have nutritious worm castings to add to their gardens this summer instead of expensive commercial fertilizer. These new worm moms are created a healthier earth.
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