A number of organizations, LO members and local residents came together for a successful compost sale at the Landscape Ontario office in Milton on Sat., May 2.

The event also kicked off International Compost Awareness Week from May 2 to 9.

Organized by the Composting Council of Canada, over 45 skids of bagged growing medium and numerous yards of compost were sold to the general public in less than three hours. More than $2,000 in proceeds from the sale will benefit the Composting Council of Canada’s Plant a Row Grow a Row Junior to teach children about vegetable gardening.

More than 250 people patiently waited to load their vehicles with compost and many stopped to obtain more information from the groups in attendance. Representatives from Halton Region offered composting tips and answered questions on the region’s composting program and residential Green Cart program. The Beavers from the 7th Milton Scouts Group held a fundraising barbecue and sold cotton candy, raising over $200 for the group’s events. Landscape Ontario distributed flyers listing local LO member garden centres where consumers can purchase colourful plant material and garden supplies. Bag to Earth supplied residential composting bags to support the Halton Region Green Cart program and Plant a Row Junior provided activities for children to create seedling pots and seed balls for guerilla gardening efforts.

Thanks to Tim Hortons, free coffee and doughnuts were supplied, and Scotts Canada and Gro-Bark provided the soil and compost. Thanks also goes to the Composting Council of Canada staff of Susan Antler, Danielle Buklis, Tyrone Biljan and Mary Ho, and LO staff members Kristen McIntyre, Kathleen Pugliese, Jane Leworthy, Lorraine Ivanoff and Robert Ellidge for helping with the event.

Captions:
Two happy customers take advantage of the great deal offered on bags of soil.
Mary Ho teaches children how to create seed balls.