Additional Elements for Your Garden

A healthy garden has many different elements working together to build soil fertility, increase biodiversity and create a closed-loop, self-sustaining system.  Adding these elements into your growing space can greatly increase food production and the overall health of your garden, while reducing pests.

Rainwater Harvesting

Plant the rain before you plant your garden. We can create a system that redirects the rainfall on your property to where it is needed most, in your garden! These systems will lower your water bill, increase your soil’s water retention and prevent erosion.

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a combination of Aquaculture (raising of fish) and Hydroponics (growing plants in water). These systems mimic the closed-loop nutrient cycle in nature by recycling nutrients. The fish waste provides organic fertilizer for the growing plants and the plants naturally filter the water in which the fish live. The most critical factor in every Aquaponics system are the beneficial bacteria. They help to complete the Nitrogen cycle, which converts the waste from the fish into food for the plants.

Water use reduction   Aquaponics uses 90% less water than traditional outdoor gardens  because aquaponics is a closed loop system, where the water is recycled continuously.

No fertilizer requirements   All of the organic nutrients are produced by the fish.

All Organic food   Your fish can be grown at home so you can be sure there are no heavy metals or toxins in the fish you eat or the vegetables grown in the system.

Year Round Production   These systems can be set up indoors or outdoors to suit your needs for year-round vegetables and fish. Indoor systems have the added benefit of filtering the air in your house, to provide clean air, water, and food.

Chickens

Keeping chickens in your backyard is a great way to add a vital source of food to accompany your garden. Some of the benefits of backyard chickens include:

• egg production – some breeds lay as many as 300 eggs per year!
• pest control – they eat insects
• weed control – they also eat lots of common weed species
• manure acts as fertilizer for your lawn and trees
• low cost of maintenance – free range chickens will feed themselves and you can feed them table scraps instead of composting

Greenhouses & Cold Frames

Greenhouses, coldframes, and other enclosed structures offer a wide variety of controlled microclimates for year-round food production. They can be used to start seeds in the spring and keep fresh greens growing into winter. Extend your growing season by months, and with some structures, enjoy a year-round harvest!

Types of structures we offer:

• Coldframes
• Simple Hoop House
• Passive Greenhouse
• Geodesic Dome
• Walipini & Thermal Mass Greenhouse
• Passive Heating and Cooling – Climate Battery

Compost & Vermicompost Bins

Composting is a simple and convenient way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. It’s also free, easy to make and good for the environment.

Soil conditioner: With compost, you are creating rich humus for lawn and garden. This adds nutrients to your plants and helps retain moisture in the soil.

Recycles kitchen and yard waste: Composting can divert as much as 30% of household waste away from the garbage can.

Introduces beneficial organisms to the soil: Microscopic organisms in compost help aerate the soil, break down organic material for plant use and ward off plant disease.

Reduces landfill waste: Most landfills in North America are quickly filling up; many have already closed down. One-third of landfill waste is made up of compostable materials.

Mushroom Logs

Mushroom logs are local logs which have been carefully innoculated with a specific type of edible fungus.  These are place in a specific area of your garden and will attract beneficial species to your garden, as well as produce hundreds of edible mushrooms for your table.