The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) would like to encourage people to ask questions about pesticide-free lawn care when visiting the “Nature Works” display this summer at the Comox Valley mid-week farmer’s market.
“Nature Works” is an education and awareness program that encourages the use of pesticide alternatives by people in municipalities with pesticide bylaws, and by others who simply want to know more about creating pesticide-free lawns and gardens.
A healthy lawn and garden is your best defense against many types of pests. The presence of weeds and insects may be an indicator of an unhealthy system. Committing to some proactive lawn care year-round will go a long way to making a strong, healthy lawn without the use of harmful chemicals. The CVRD website www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/pesticidealternatives offers a downloadable seasonal pocket guide with some basic lawn care maintenance as well as natural recipes to deal with unwanted pests like ants, earwigs, wasps and yellow jackets.
“Good bugs can also help your garden become a healthy ecosystem,” said Patty Rose, CVRD’s compost educator. “The most visible and beloved of all the good bugs, the ladybug, can be a gardener's best friend.”
Gardeners can release purchased ladybugs in their gardens or on their patio containers, and a single ladybug can eat as many as 50 aphids each day. And, says Rose, “If you compost, wriggler worms chow down on kitchen scraps and quickly turn them into ‘black gold’."
The mid-week summer farmer’s market is on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in downtown Courtenay on England Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets. Residents can also visit the organic demonstration gardens located at the Comox Valley compost education centre (4795 Headquarters Road, Courtenay) Thursday through Sunday. For the compost education centre’s operational hours and special event listings, visit www.cswm.ca/composting.