megram - Index

megram - 55NovOttawa - Index

In the Garden
By Irene Morton
The Perfect Gift? Worms!
These creatures provide gardeners
with indoor composting and outdoor beauty
For many of us, the holidays are
just around the corner and we
face the dilemma of what to buy
for our family and friends.Well, today
you may have found your answer.Yes,
the most perfect, useful, inexpensive
and productive gift of all
time…worms!
Yes, worms — and not just any
worms,but red wigglers! I recently had
the pleasure of interviewing Gerrie
Baker, owner of The Worm Factory
(www.thewormfactory.ca) in
Westport. Gerrie Baker and Ray
Cooper own a 240-acre farm on the
top of Foley Mountain in Westport,just
south of Ottawa and north of
Kingston.We discussed just how easy it
is to bring vermicomposting into our
lives.Vermicomposting is a natural process
where kitchen and yard wastes
decompose into a dark, nutrient-rich,
earth-smelling soil.If you live in a highrise,
or do not want to trudge through
your backyard in the middle of a winter
blizzard to your yard compost pile,
then vermicomposting is the answer!
“The Worm Factory was a millennium
project and a late-life career
change for us,” explains Gerrie.
“Indoor composters are clean and
odour-free as they convert organic
waste to perfectly balanced soil.
Vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells,
coffee grinds, tea leaves, unmatched
cotton socks, pet fur, brown paper
bags, and shredded newspapers end
up as rich black earth when given to
these prolific red wigglers.”
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Lifestyles Properties
TM – “Masterpiece Living” and
“Lifestyle Equity Lease” are trademarks
owned by Alavida Lifestyles Inc.
It’s where you want to live
Near Hunt Club & Prince of Wales
CitiPlace Urban Village is the newest Ashcroft
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its heart. Marking the height of retirement living, The
Ravines is contemporary, comfortable and suffused
with the feel of home. Lease today, your choice of suites
from studios to 2 bedroom styles and get our $2000
move-in bonus!
We welcome all vistors. Drop in to:
Alavida Lifestyles
Sales Centre
120 Central Park Drive, Ottawa
Tel: 613 798 2686
$2000 Move-in Bonus
Now Open Immediate Occupancy
www.alavidalifestyles.com
The Ravines
Retirement Suites
626 Prado Private, Ottawa
Tel: 613 288 7900
Inquire about other Alavida Lifestyles Communities in Ottawa
Park Place Seniors’ Suites & Retirement Residence • The Astoria Lifestyle
Equity Lease TM in Central Park off Merivale • The Promenade in Orleans
Coming Soon The Village in Westboro • Carillon on Gilmour
November/December 2008 • Ottawa 7 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine