John Gola with some the produce he grows every year in his market garden east of Prince Albert. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Gardening in Prince Albert

Local growers offer choice in produce purchases during challenging times

Sep 10, 2025 | 12:45 PM

With what seems to be an ever increasing cost of buying groceries, one tasty local alternative is the Prince Albert Farmer’s Market.

John Gola, who grows a large garden 1.5 miles east of the city, has been in the business for decades and said his choice to use irrigation made a huge difference in this year’s harvest.

“It was excellent for me because I have drip irrigation on all my vegetables,” he said. “All of my garden has drop and I fertilize at the same time and it works out great, otherwise, it would have been a terrible year.”

May and June offered virtually no rain in central Saskatchewan this year so other growers likely faced some setbacks.

On Wedneday, he was one of eight tables in the market on Central Avenue next to city hall, but that numbers grows on their Saturday sale day.

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Two of the larger growers in the area are teachers and can’t be there Wednesdays once school starts.

Gola’s table featured a lot of later fall root vegetables such as onions, garlic and carrots but he said potatoes and cucumbers are always in demand.

“Some of the things I sell are cheaper than the store,” he said. “So you’ve got to watch what you sell here and how much you try and charge for it. My cucumbers are cheaper than they are at the store.”

No only are buyers getting good prices, the produce is generally organic as well.

By some standards, Gola’s 40 x 220 foot garden is not large, but he maximizes space as much as possible.

“I grow intense. I grow seven rows of carrots, I grow potatoes, one, two, three four every foot apart on a foot grid and my carrots all go on a three inch grid,” he said.

Root vegetables such as potatoes are heavy users of nutrients so he adds about 15 yards of compost to his garden to maximize the yield.

While Gola does the gardening, the table at the farmer’s market is a joint effort. His wife does the pickling, canning and everything while also working a full-time job.

So far this year, two frost advisories have been issued in the Prince Albert area but so far, none have frozen the plants.

The Prince Albert Farmer’s Market operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com