GARDENING FOR GOOD
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2024

What's In This Newsletter

Message from our CEO & Co-Founder, Le Luong
October Garden Checklist
How to Save Seeds
Growing Garlic at Home
Case Study: Carrot Seed Germination Experiment
Upcoming Events
Grants Available
NGB on the Field
ICYMI on IG
Word on the Street

Message from our Co-Founder

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Food Waste Month!

This October marks Food Waste Month, where we shed some awareness on the impact of food waste on our world and share how Nurture Growth integrates food waste into our biofertilizer.

Did you know that more than 50% of food produced is lost or wasted and mostly ends up in landfills where it decomposes and forms methane, a toxic Greenhouse Gases (GHG). Food waste is the third largest contributor of GHG so here at Nurture Growth, we are giving food waste a second life by upcycling it to produce our biofertilizer. We are proud to be part of the circular economy to fight climate change!

We collect and process food waste from local food and beverage companies near our headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. The food waste is fermented using our innovative fertilizer technology, allowing us to be OMRI and PROCERT Certified Organic. A special blend of microbes is later added during various stages to ensure consistent microbial count.

If you have used our biofertilizer before, you probably would have noticed the odor, which is a result of the fermentation process – not from processed food waste! Our biofertilizer is often mistaken as compost or compos-tea because it uses food waste. However, since we add a special blend of microbes, it produces the nutrients that interact with other microbes in the soil. Our microbes naturally convert atmospheric nitrogen and unlock phosphorus, potassium, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron in the soil without using synthetic fertilizers.

We encourage you to contact us about any questions you have about our biofertilizer and how you can use it in your garden. Thank you for your continued support!

Yours very truly,

Le Luong, Co-Founder & CEO of Nurture Growth Biofertilizer

If you live in Ontario, October is generally when you will plant the least in your garden because of the anticipation of frost the next month. However, there are a few items that can be planted now, and will see them sprout in the spring!

Here’s what you need to know about what to do in your garden for October:

👩🏽‍🌾 PLANT: Onions, Garlic, Shallots, Tulips, Daffodills, Alliums. More ideas in our blog post here!

🧹 PREPARE: Start cleaning up your garden for the winter months

🐛 IMPROVE: This is a good time to improve your garden's soil. Add manure, compost, and leaves to increase the organic matter content.

🌱 FERTILIZE: Add our biofertilizer into the mix for added microbes into the soil

How To Save Seeds 🌱

Seed saving is not only a great way to save costs on your groceries, but it also helps preserve unique plant varieties! 🌱

We share how to get started on seed saving, and the tips and tricks on making sure you have a bountiful harvest for seasons

Start Saving Seeds!

Growing Garlic in Southern Ontario

Depending on where you live in Ontario, the perfect date to plant your garlic could range from the last week of September to as late as early November. Our blog post on garlic will give you all the details on how to start growing right at home 🧄

Grow Your Own Garlic

Carrot Seed

Germination Experiment 🥕

Ankita, our Senior Science Officer started conducting an experiment on seed germination and the use of our biofertilizer using the paper towel method. This is to see if our product helps with the germination process of the seedling!

As part of our seed germination experiment, we examined the germination of Red Danvers Carrot seeds to evaluate the efficacy of our biofertilizer. To conduct this assessment, we performed two seed germination experiments. In the first experiment, we planted the seeds directly without any soaking treatment. It took more than 7 days to germinate and by that time some of the seeds were contaminated.

The second time we did the experiment, we soaked the seeds in Nurture Growth Solution for 3-4 hours before planting. Our results indicated that the seeds soaked in Nurture Growth Solution germinated significantly faster than the non-soaked seeds. Specifically, the soaked seeds began to sprout within 5 days, while the non-soaked seeds took over 7 days to germinate.

To carry out this assessment, we divided the seeds into two distinct groups. One group was soaked in distilled water, serving as the control, while the other group was immersed in a biofertilizer solution prepared by dissolving 1 teaspoon of biofertilizer in 125 ml of water. This soaking process lasted for 3-4 hours for both groups, allowing for sufficient absorption of the water and biofertilizer.

Each group consisted of four replications, with 10 seeds per replication, ensuring a robust sample size for accurate results. After soaking, the seeds were carefully placed on paper towels, covered to maintain moisture, and stored in Ziplock bags to create a controlled environment.

We monitored germination daily, recording the number of seeds that sprouted over time. The results revealed a significant difference between the two groups: the seeds treated with our biofertilizer exhibited faster germination rates compared to those in the control group. This finding suggests that our biofertilizer enhances seed germination, highlighting its potential benefits for carrot cultivation.

Stay tuned for upcoming experiment updates!

Follow For Updates

Upcoming Events 📅

Plant Swap

We are planning to host our inaugural plant swap event in November and would love to hear your feedback! If you can, please click the link below to answer 3 questions:

Take Survey

Save-The-Date for Seed Swap Event in
February 2025

Grants Available 🌟

Calling all gardeners!

City of Toronto opens applications for its Fall PollinateTO Grants Applications are now open for the City of Toronto’s PollinateTO grants!

PollinateTO offers grants of up to $5,000 to support community-led initiatives that result in the creation or expansion of pollinator habitats on public and private lands in Toronto. A priority will be placed on funding projects in Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.

Projects eligible for funding include those that create new pollinator habitats, expand or enhance an existing garden by adding pollinator-friendly plants and/or convert a lawn area, boulevard or hard service into a pollinator garden or rain garden.

The grants are a component of the City’s Pollinator Protection Strategy adopted by Toronto City Council in 2018 to support more than 360 species of bees and more than 100 species of butterflies and other pollinators in Toronto. Many species are in decline due to loss of habitat, climate change and other stressors. Pollinators support healthy and resilient ecosystems that help clean the air, capture carbon, stabilize soil and absorb stormwater.

Since 2019, PollinateTO has supported more than 190 community-led projects, resulting in the creation of 500 gardens and an estimated 25,500 m² of pollinator habitat.

Applications are open until Monday, October 21 and are available on the City’s website: www.toronto.ca/pollinateTO.

Apply Here

NGB on the Field 👩🏼‍🌾

A few weeks ago, we visited Kukielka Produce to check on the status of the sweet potatoes trial. The trial was conducted on a 10 acre plot using Nurture Growth biofertilizer compared to their traditional growing method.

They saw significant growth in the treated area using Nurture Growth Biofertilizer and had one extra bin for each row! They also saw that each plant had between 5 to 9 potatoes. In total, they increased their yield by 7% and had 7600 pounds of more sweet potatoes for each acre.

That’s 76,000 pounds of yield increase for the 10 acre trial! -- How sweet is that!