The days are a little longer now! Spring doesn’t seem so far away. It’s fun to read about gardening and think ahead! In our last copy of the “Green and White” magazine from the University of Saskatchewan, there were a lot of interesting articles about food production.
In an article called “Hard To Digest” by Beverly Fast, she talks about how there is much interest in healthy foods: not just how the food is processed, but also concern about where and how it is grown. A Global Health and Wellness Survey was done in 2015, and the results were that 32% of the people surveyed want foods made from fruits and vegetables; 31% want natural flavours; and 29% want all natural. It’s fascinating how people have come full circle, in a way, from pioneer-type gardening to intensive production and now back to a more basic form of growing fruits and vegetables.
This article also had some interesting information about haskap. The U of S is famous for the wonderful work they have done in the development of hardy fruit for the prairies. They began working on haskap in 2001, releasing the first variety in 2007. Just think, this hardy plant has sold more than one million plants! If you are planning to add some fruit bushes to your yard, haskap is one to mark on your list.
Haskap is tough enough to make it through our toughest winters, and can survive and thrive to produce berries by June! And not only that, it’s good for us! The article said that 2/3 of a cup of haskap berries will give us 60% of our vitamin C for the day, and 12% of our fibre. It is also high in antioxidants.
Haskap grows about four to six feet high. There are few pest problems with haskap, and it is a gardener friendly bush because it has no thorns, and keeps its shape with no suckers. Plant the bush a little deeper to encourage a deep root system, and plant bushes about one metre apart. Water them well and diligently during the first three years to help them get established. They like a sunny, well-drained location. It sounds like the only challenge is making sure the gardener gets the berries before the birds do!
If you’d like to read more, log on to www.fruit.usask.ca/haskap. But if you are starting to think about what to plant this spring, start a list and include haskap!
Another short article called “Where Our Food Comes From” by Susan Pederson had many little tidbits about growing food. For instance, did you know that 41% of Canada’s arable land is right here in Saskatchewan? Or that there were 3,713 organic farms in Canada in 2011?
And did you know that the U of S fruit program has been working on new varieties for us for over ninety years? Further to that, seven varieties of haskap have been developed at the U of S since 2007, and 35,000 apple seedlings have been grown at the U of S in the last 25 years.
We owe much to the ongoing horticultural and research efforts at the U of S; they are working hard to make fruits and crops even better in Saskatchewan and around the world! We tip our gardening hats to you, U of S!
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society welcomes any and all interested gardeners; even if you don’t have a garden but just enjoy learning about plants, you are most welcome! You do not have to be a member to attend a meeting: if our speakers are talking on a subject that interests you, feel free to join us! You can find out more about the group at www.yorktonhort.ca
Have a great week!
