The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, Nov. 22. This is our AGM for members and their guests only. It’s a time to get together to share gardening experiences, and look forward to the coming year! All horticultural members are encouraged to come out for a great evening! Members, for more information or tickets please call Liz at (306) 782-2830.
I’d like to send a bouquet of congratulations to Sonja Pawliw who was a recipient of a Canada 150 Community Volunteer award recently. This award was given to Sonja: artist, gardener and writer” because “for decades, her generous use of her many creative gifts and abilities have enriched those far beyond our community.” Congratulations Sonja, this is well-deserved and we are very proud of you! Sonja is a member of the horticultural society, and I’m sure many of you have visited her beautiful healing garden. If you haven’t yet, add that visit to your “to do” list for next spring!
A dear friend shared a wonderful gift with us: a large round watermelon that he grew in his garden! It was a beauty, almost the size of a volleyball, with a dark green smooth shell. It was almost too pretty to eat, but of course, we did! The flesh was juicy and sweet, and made even more enjoyable because this was not just any watermelon!
Last spring Warren Crossman attended one of our meetings, and kindly shared some melon seeds from Pakistan. We passed on some of these seeds to our friend, who knew just what to do to make them a bountiful success! That was the watermelon! (Just for your own interest, we tried to grow the watermelon in a container; it came up well and was healthy enough, but the watermelon barely got to baseball size. It was a learning experience!)
So what is the key to growing a successful watermelon? They are heat-loving plants, so we should try to choose a spot with maximum sun. They will need at least ninety days to mature, so we must plant them as early as we can after any danger of frost. Our friend didn’t use black plastic around the melons, as I have read can be done to keep the soil warm. As he said, it was just a great year for the melons. Next year, who knows? I have also read that melons will benefit from some extra fertilizer. By coincidence, melons were in my latest reading, here’s where.
Another dear friend kindly shared a delightful book with me: it’s called “I’ll Never Marry A Farmer” by Lois Hole. The cover says “Lois Hole on Life, Learning, and Vegetable Gardening”.
If you recall, Lois Hole had an esteemed career as a politician, business woman, and was also the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2000 to 2005; but I think most gardeners remember her as a gardener extraordinaire, with a practical, down-to-earth (pardon the pun!) approach to gardening. For all her sparkling accomplishments, she was a gardener first. This books has short stories about her life on the farm, but also sections on growing different vegetables. Her family had a successful market garden and a wonderful greenhouse. Her gardening books are full of great information, excellent reference book, and would make a valuable addition to your gardening library. And guess what else! Lois was born in Buchanan: a great prairie girl!
There’s so much to learn about gardening; as a gardening friend said, “I am already planning for next year!” That’s the spirit! Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!
