{"id":36362,"date":"2025-05-29T17:55:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T21:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=36362"},"modified":"2025-05-29T17:55:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T21:55:36","slug":"lubberts-delivers-timely-green-thumb-wisdom-seminar-to-guide-spring-planting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/lubberts-delivers-timely-green-thumb-wisdom-seminar-to-guide-spring-planting\/","title":{"rendered":"Lubberts delivers timely \u201cGreen Thumb Wisdom\u201d seminar to guide spring planting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paul Lubberts, an Urban Agricultural Coordinator for the York Region Food Network, delivered an engaging \u201cGreen Thumb Wisdom\u201d seminar to fifty Optimist Club dinner meeting attendees at the Aurora Soccer Club on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubberts acknowledged the roomful of Optimists in his post-dinner presentation, mused about what it would mean to be an Optimist, and then described himself as a \u201ccontent pessimist\u201d much to the amusement of his audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After breaking the ice with the service club\u2019s dinner guests, Lubberts showed his true colors as an ardent advocate of community gardens and composting\u2014two items near and dear to his heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a lifelong fascination with plants and seeds, so much of my hope is tied to decay and decomposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ironically-humorous tone and insights delivered by the congenial community gardener were appreciated by his audience and Lubberts encouraged The Optimists \u201cto compost in either bins or heaps\u201d to \u201cencourage healthy plant growth and soil enrichment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He offered a refreshing fascination with the growth and rebirth connected with spring:  \u201cSeed sprouts are part of the deepest magic that we encounter in our natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubberts\u2014resplendent in a warm red toque to combat the unseasonable cold conditions outside\u2014delineated the benefits of composting as a key to healthy gardens and landscaping: \u201cIt only takes seventeen elements \u2013 a combination of micronutrients and macronutrients\u2014to grow healthy plants.  Compost is comprised of all the elements that plants need. It holds nutrients in their most natural form, it enlivens the soil, its organic materials increase water retention, and it improves catch and charge rates through root systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He offered insights into the \u201cSoil Food Web\u2014a microbial soup that is both robust and self-regulating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery organism needs to eat and composting encourages the health of 30,000 species of bacteria that live in our healthy gardens.  The Soil Food Web is robust and self-regulating. The bacteria are custodians of the Soil Food Web and develop a symbiotic relationship with fungi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This balance is adversely affected by many kinds of chemical fertilizers and Lubberts cautioned the gardeners to use it sparingly, if at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome chemical fertilizers have harmful effects on the ecosystems that exist in the soil. Floods in fields used for agricultural production are often caused by improper fertilizing that has destroyed the water retention of soil.  When we use compost more than fertilizers, we go beyond feeding the plants. We develop a vibrant, adaptive community that provides an environment for plants to thrive and survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubberts also discussed a gardener\u2019s connectivity to the land and to the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an inspirational anecdote to close his presentation, the urban agriculturist, who coordinates 20,000 square feet of community gardens in Aurora, made a moving reference to his Opa from the Netherlands.  He spoke of his grandparent\u2019s essence floating through him and others as he, like all organisms, broke down and became one with the Earth again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a closing pitch, Lubberts implored his audience to \u201cMulch away,\u201d to deploy \u201ccover cropping to recharge and regenerate rich soil,\u201d and encouraged gardeners to \u201cmanage greens and browns, including lawn clippings\u201d to maximize the benefits of composting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After receiving an Optimist Club cap and a bottle of organic maple syrup produced by the award-winning Sugaring Aurora Project, Lubberts also expressed his gratitude for his role as the York Region Food Network\u2019s Urban Agriculture Coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a gift to find my way back into gardening.  The community garden plots remove barriers for so many who want to garden and grow their own food.  It\u2019s great to create more and more spaces for passionate people who love gardening.  It develops a deeper sense of community and connectivity, especially since there\u2019s so much food insecurity.  Our collective gardens donate so much to local food banks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubberts spoke glowingly of the community garden\u2019s productivity in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were able to produce 160 kilograms of food from just one 200-square foot space in the garden for a not-for-profit. That garden generated various kinds of kale, carrots, beets, and scallions to help combat food insecurity. We also provided food for asylum seekers; specifically, vegetables that were connected to their heritage, including callaloo and African collards, which are staples for so many meals. Producing food that is specific to communities is very satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The York Region Food Network rep also distributed an array of seed packages\u2014corn, beets, onions, Stringless Green Pod Bush beans, Kentucky Wonder Pole beans; acorn, buttercap, and butternut squash; Grand Rapids and Early Curled Simpson lettuce; leeks, carrots, tomatoes–for attendees.  It was another perk of membership in the vibrant Optimist Club which is celebrating its 40th<\/sup> year of service to the Town of Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Jim Stewart<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul Lubberts, an Urban Agricultural Coordinator for the York Region Food Network, delivered an engaging \u201cGreen Thumb Wisdom\u201d seminar to fifty Optimist Club dinner meeting attendees at the Aurora Soccer Club on Wednesday night. Lubberts acknowledged the roomful of Optimists in his post-dinner presentation, mused about what it would mean to be an Optimist, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":36363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/2025-05-29-05.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9su","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-23 10:57:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36364,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36362\/revisions\/36364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}