The Bonnyville Agricultural Society commenced its 18th annual Gardener’s Day with some newcomers.
“This is the first-time I came to this event,” said Samatha Karshiuk. “It’s something relaxing to do and realizing you planted your own seeds, it’s fresh to produce and tastes good.”
Every spring, the Bonnyville Community Learning Council (BCLC) and Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA) collaborates with the Bonnyville Ag Society to give local gardeners the opportunity to learn about seeds, crop varieties, sprouting, and much more.
“The idea is to make it as a learning event, but also a social event,” noted Alyssa Krone, manager at LARA.
She explained, “We bring in great speakers on various topics, and the way that we pick those topics is based on what previous participants have asked for.”
This year, first-time speakers like Sarah Campbell and Jolene Shelton-Yackimec taught attendees about the importance of sprouting and organic gardening.
Campbell, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, enlightened people on the benefits and importance of sprouts, and the method to produce them. Sprouting is a technique of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. Some examples of sprouts are alfalfa, soy, beans, and lentils.
“I really love being part of Gardener’s Day, because I’m interacting with people who get the importance of soil and where food comes from,” said Campbell.“We need to be the steward of the soil.”
Krashiuk appreciated the information she garnered from Campbell’s presentation.
“I really liked the seed sprouting presentation, it’s simple to do and looks like it’s pretty quick.”
Shelton-Yackimec is co-manager of Sand Springs Ranch, an organic farm with a unique mix of a market garden and cow/calf beef operation.
Sharing her insights on organic gardening Shelton-Yackimec talked about the importance of the soil health, the source of healthy food, and how people and grow nutritious options for their family.
“I started organic gardening with my family,” she said. “I had children and it pushed me to learn more about food, its production, and what I was feeding my kids. The more I learned, the more I was appalled.”
Shelley Barkley, insect specialist, shared her knowledge about insect pests and how they can be a factor in the destruction of regular root vegetables like potatoes, beetroot, and carrots.
Most of the gardeners present already have a certain amount of knowledge, so the exchange of information from one attendee to another was a key focus of the day.
“We try to take a lot of breaks, so it’s more of a learning and networking type of activity. That can increase the number of people that are wanting to garden, by giving the information they need to start,” explained Krone.
The final speech was given by Lorne Kaban, president of Alberta Regional Lily Society. He discussed tips and tricks for growing lilies and things that must be kept in consideration when planting the flower.
Lilies need good drainage and kept awar from areas where water collects. They prefer loose and rich soil for growth.
“The numbers down from last year but that’s okay too. We are going to have some flux like that,” said Nicole Ferbey, executive director at BCLC.
Krone mentioned, “It is an event that people wait for every spring. If we haven’t got the flyers yet, then sometimes people will call and ask when we are having the event.”
The day wrapped up with a seed and magazine exchange, with gardeners from both near and far leaving with a new plethora of knowledge as they get ready for another gardening season.
