The Master Gardeners of McDowell County have been working hard organizing Good Earth Gardening: A Garden Symposium. Good Earth Gardening will be Saturday, March 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the McDowell Senior Center, 100 Spaulding Road, Marion.
This will be the first of a 4 part series highlighting the keynote speakers and workshops.
Craig LeHoullier lives and gardens in Hendersonville. His love of heirloom tomatoes began with his joining the Seed Savers Exchange, an organization for which he continues to serve as adviser for tomatoes, in 1986. He is responsible for naming and popularizing many well-know tomatoes, such as Cherokee Purple.
In 2005, he added amateur tomato breeding to his garden resume, and continues to co-lead the Dwarf Tomato Breeding project, responsible for creating 125 (and counting) new compact growing varieties for space-challenged gardeners.
His writing career kicked off with a 2012 request from Storey Publishing to write a book on tomatoes, resulting in Epic Tomatoes (2015). His second book, Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales, soon followed (2016). Book 3 focusing on the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, is in progress and should be completed soon with a self-published creation.
He is a popular lecturer across the country at major gardening events, as well as a frequent guest on podcasts and radio shows. Here is an interesting article from National Public Radio: Cherokee Purple: the Story Behind One of Our Favorite Tomatoes.
Mark your calendars now for Saturday, March 12 to spend some time with Mr. LeHoullier, other gardening experts, and Extension Master Gardeners of McDowell County.
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