March 21 – 10 am-noon – Ornamental Gardens- Scott Smith: workshop, Soils of  the South Okanagan

When Scott Smith offered a similar workshop in 2015 to celebrate the International Year of Soils, the response was enthusiastic. He’s back to kick off our workshop schedule with new information and new ideas!

Scott Smith is a Penticton-based consulting soil scientist.  He holds a B.Sc. from McGill University and a M.Sc. in soil science from the University of Alberta.  He has over 40 years experience in soil and ecology mapping. Scott worked for 20 years at the Summerland Research and Development Centre, where he learned about the wine industry through collaborations with the viticulture research program under Dr. Pat Bowen.  Together, they explored methods of defining and delineating wine appellations within BC, most recently in the Summerland area.

These delineations, which Scott will describe in his presentation, are based on natural landforms and soil types.  Scott now consults to wineries throughout the Okanagan and works as a technical advisor to both the BC Wine Authority (the provincial wine regulator) and the BC Wine Institute.

Bring your questions about your soil and how best to care for it; the more you know, the better your garden (or vineyard!)