Workshops can be delivered during our regular business hours: Wednesday-Saturday, between 10am and 4pm.
Composting Basics, Worm Composting and Soil Life workshops can be shortened for a “lunch and learn” format. These hour-long workshops cost $90.
To book a workshop, call us at 250-386-9676 or get in touch via our contact form.
We require at least 48 hours notice for workshop cancellation. If you are not able to give us 48 hours notice, we reserve the right to charge you the full workshop fee.
Composting Basics (1.5 hrs, $100)
This is an informative session on what it takes to produce an amendment for your garden that is rich in beneficial microorganisms and nutrients! We’ll cover the 6 factors for composting success, how to choose the best composting system for your needs and how to increase the rodent resistance of your compost pile.
Advanced Composting (1.5 hrs, $100)
Advanced Composting aims to broaden the scope of participants’ knowledge of composting methods. Topics covered will include dynamic accumulators and hot composting, compost tea, in-situ composting methods and humanure.
Worm Composting (1.5 hrs, $100)
Everything you need to know about vermicomposting. Topics covered include starting up, maintaining and trouble-shooting a worm bin compost system. A few other small space composting systems are discussed.
Soil Life (1.5 hrs, $100)
All about the really important tiny lives in your soil. The soil food web will be discussed, as well as the functions of microbial life in the soil and how they contribute to a healthy, vibrant garden.
Grow Your Own Food 101 (2 hrs, $125)
Want to grow your own groceries but not sure where to even start? This is a workshop designed for total beginners who want to get their hands dirty and start producing fresh produce in their backyards or in containers.
Planning Your Year Round Veggie Garden (2 hrs, $125)
Here in Victoria good planning makes it possible to harvest produce from our gardens during every month of the year. This presentation will show you how to make your garden more intensive by planning crop rotations, using protective covers and understanding how winter growing works!
Permaculture Basics (2 hrs, $125)
Permaculture is a sustainable design theory modeled on natural ecosystems. This workshop touches on permaculture history, ethics and principles, and scale-able ways to apply the theory to your garden and home.
Sustainable Systems Site Tour (1hr, $90)
We offer guided tours during which participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the many ecological gardening techniques and processes at work on the Compost Education Centre’s site. Topics covered include attracting pollinators, permaculture guilds and food forests, organic vegetable growing, soil stewardship and rainwater harvesting.
Food Preservation Basics (2 Hours, $125)
Learn the basics of how to preserve the season’s abundance. We will learn the basics of hot water bath canning, dehydrating, freezing, storing, and fermenting. Preserving foods is not only a delicious way to taste summer in the dark rainy days of winter, but it is also an act of sustainability and creates more security in the food system.
Brewing Kombucha and Kefir (2hrs, $125)
Start brewing your own yummy, good for your tummy, fermented beverages with this crash course in Kombucha, Milk Kefir and Water Kefir!
Having mysterious histories, these fermented, probiotic rich delicacies are known for being full of good things that promote overall digestive wellness. They are delicious and satisfying and there is a great number of ways you can flavor your goods! In this workshop we’ll go over the basics of how to ferment kombucha and kefir, and we’ll learn (and taste!) how to create effervescent kombucha with unique flavoring, like purchased kombuchas so often have.
Zero Waste Living (2 Hours, $125)
Ever dream of a life where you create no waste? With some thought and planning, it’s possible! In this workshop, we’ll explore a typical home – from the bathroom to the kitchen, the garden to the living room, and identify a variety of ways that you can go waste free by making simple changes in your everyday life. At the end of the workshop, we’ll each make a commitment to an action that we will hold each other accountable to in weeks to come. Bring something to write with (an upcycled scrap paper journal perhaps?)
Green Cone Information Session (1 hr, $75)
Ideal for apartment buildings, stratas, condos or anyone wanting to educate a group on how to best use this amazing organics disposal system. The Green Cone is our most popular strategy for complying with the Capital Region-wide ban on organics to the landfill. This workshop includes:
-One hour explanation of how to use the Green Cone to its full potential,
-Paper copies of our Green Cone Digester Factsheet to distribute to each unit in your complex
-Member pricing on your first 2 Green Cones ($165 instead of $180)
-Ongoing support via our hotline
Workshop add-on: Site Assessment ($75/hour)
Let us help you put your new knowledge into practice! Immediately after your workshop, our staff will walk your site with you to discuss options and locations for composting systems, help with maintenance strategies, or troubleshoot existing compost systems.
Canning the Abundance (2hrs, $125)
Ever wonder what to do with all those tomatoes? How about the epic amount of beets your neighbor just gifted you? Or just want to Do-It-Yourself and make your own berry jam to enjoy in the dark days of winter?
In this workshop we will talk about the basics of safe produce preservation using the hot water bath method of preservation. You’ll get to taste some yummy home canned goodies, and will come away with a basic idea of how to can the season’s abundance safely, and have a list of resources to consult for further learning.
This workshop requires a stove. Option for participants to go away with something they preserved in this workshop for an addition of $10 per person.