Soil Series – Who is this Tom?

“Dirt is the stuff underneath your fingernails, whereas soil is an engineered composition of organic matter (sand, clay and organic matter) designed specifically for your project’s grow media and geographic location.”

– Tom McConkey

So who is this Tom McConkey?

Before we start talking about “soil”, we want to introduce our specialist.  Denbow is pleased to be offering this series of interviews with one of our valued partners,  Tom McConkey.  Tom is highly skilled in landscape and our local soil and has been in the field for over two decades.  Some of his specialty areas include Green Roofs, Urban Agriculture, Bio-Swales, Storm Water Management, Sustainable Turf Grass Practices.

Tom attended Carelton University and earned a degree to become an English teacher but as fate would have it, Tom decided to take a position at a local landscape company instead.

Early on there he got involved in the company’s compost practices. Tom became very interested in not only selling the compost, but understanding the composting process.

At the time, composting  was a new aspect of the landscape industry so Tom was given the freedom to get to really “dig in,” so to speak.

During his early years, Tom was able cultivate his knowledge and skills while being mentored by Dr. Bill Herman of Pacific Soil Analysis.  Dr. Herman is a soil specialist who instructed Tom in both the composting process and more importantly, the beneficial use of organic matter as it pertains to the British Columbia Lower Mainland network.

Denbow hopes this interview series with expert, Tom McConkey serves Landscape architects, city managers and landscapers as well as the average joe gardener in understanding the complexity of engineered soil and how it can assist their projects.