YORKTON -
Well, another Yorkton and District Horticultural Society Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show has come and gone! Did you know that on September 7, 1906, the Yorkton horticultural group made its debut with their first flower show at the city hall? Despite gardening challenges, those early gardeners felt it was important to gather together and share their garden experience and appreciate the beauty and bounty of whatever they were able to grow.
Those early gardeners were great inspiration for all of us! I’m very proud that the hort group of 2023 hosted another show. Yes, the shows have changed over the years. Some changes were sad to say goodbye to, others may have been a welcome relief! Some changes were decided upon by the group, some just happened and we had to adapt. Some reactions to changes over the years were positive, some were not. Thank you to our wonderful members who continue to take part and support us with enthusiasm, positive feedback, and fresh new ideas. We had to roll with what came our way. “But we always did it like that!” is a comment that is a sure way to push any group to its demise. Any group must always be open to new ideas and new ways to do things and thank you to the forward-thinking gardeners who come to meetings with exciting plans and positive outlooks!
So we changed and grew (pardon the pun!) to what came our way over the years. John F. Kennedy once said “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future.” So I feel that the gardeners of September 7, 1906, were with us in spirit at the 2023 show, and their spunk, vision, and determination was a fine legacy to share with us!
Thank you to everyone who took part in the show, from organizing to setting up to taking down. Thank you to everyone who brought any kind of exhibits; this was a tough gardening year in terms of heat and lack of rain but we all did the best we could with what we had! Thank you to the Parkland Mall for all their help; and thank you to all our gardening friends who came to the show, it was great to have your company! Visit the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society website at www.yorktonhort.ca . Our regular meetings are happening again after the summer break; the first one will be on Wednesday, September 20. More details will follow.
The gardens have really seemed to mature a lot more quickly this year. No doubt the heat took its toll on many things. I’ve heard from various gardening friends that blight is a problem this year. Blight is a fungal disease, and it rapidly spreads when the wind blows spores around. If your garden has been struck with this problem, it is important to use proper care.
Rule number one: throw the blight-infested stems and leaves into the garbage. Never put them into the compost pile. If you can, rake up any diseased leaves, throw them in the garbage, and really tidy up the area. Blight spreads with conditions of heat and humidity, and we have had a lot of that this year! I have been told by people in the know that potatoes infected with blight do not keep very well or very long. And with tomatoes, there is not much that gardeners can do except pick whatever tomatoes are not spoiled. I’ve read that copper based fungicides are available, but sadly the fungicide has to be applied before the blight appears. And if it rains, it washes off and has to be re-applied. We hope for better next year!
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their consistently fine work. Gardeners, have a great week.
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