Howland Honey film at library

Mark Tuesday, February 12 on your calendar, and plan to be at the Yorkton Public Library for a great Open Cinema Film from the Yorkton Film Festival. The film is “Howland’s Honey”, a fascinating film about a long-time family honey production business, just outside of Yorkton. The short documentary “Howland’s Honey” won the Golden Sheaf Award for Community Television. Sasha Howland, proprietor of the farm and subject of the film, will be the speaker for the evening. We know how important bees are, so come out and learn more about them on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Yorkton Public Library. Admission is free.

And while you are at the library, stroll through the stacks and choose some interesting gardening books to borrow; then stop at the front desk and ask about the Seed Library. There will be a variety of seeds available for eager gardeners; it’s a wonderful free program and a great way to try new seeds!

There’s more coming up! Don’t forget, the 9th Annual Seedy Saturday is on Saturday, February 23, 2019, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at SIGN on Broadway (345 Broadway Street West). There is something for everyone including local seed vendors and info booths.

The cold and the wind of the last couple weeks has been exhausting, hasn’t it. While I still take a short tour of the yard each day, the garden is now very swept by the wind. Some of our plants are protected with boxes, leaves and burlap, so I hope they are hibernating peacefully in there!

“Windchill” has been in conversations a lot this last while. What is it, exactly? The Weather Channel describes it how cold it feels on our skin when we factor in the wind, that’s why they say the temperature “feels like” a certain number. The wind makes us lose heat from our bodies, so it feels colder.

Protection from the wind had me thinking about how shelterbelts work. I found an interesting article on the Agriculture and Agri-food site (www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practises/agroforestry) about shelterbelts. The main goal of a shelterbelt is to reduce wind velocities. Not only does a shelterbelt break the harsh winds, but it also aids in snow retention and creates a micro-climate for our yards and gardens. And by stopping the wind, it creates an environment that feels warmer.

I learned a lot reading this site. For instance, did you know that the shelterbelt protection “zone” extends out to seven times the height of the trees? In a mature shelterbelt, that is a significant area. Also, if planting a shelterbelt, trees should not be too close to any buildings, or else they will catch snow in areas that should be snow-free. If we were planning a shelterbelt to catch snow, we would want to plant it 30 to 90 metres away from buildings or roads, and here’s an interesting factoid: shrubs cause deep, short snowdrifts while deciduous trees make longer, and more shallow snowdrifts. Protection varies by the density of the trees and shrubs in the shelterbelt. And how long should a shelterbelt be? It should exceed the height of the trees by at least ten to one.

Even though few of us will be planting shelterbelts, they are very much part of the prairie horticultural landscape. It’s a fascinating topic, so check out this site and read and learn more about it. There’s a lot more involved in a shelterbelt than just planting a row of trees on the north and west sides of our property!

Visit the horticultural society at our website: www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!