Growing Great Tomatoes

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Monday, March 17th, 2014
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Arzeena Hamir has �pretty much seen it all� when it comes to issues growing tomatoes.

�Just talking to gardeners up and down the Comox Valley, I am surprised not many gardeners here protect their tomatoes from rain and dew,� says Arzeena, owner of Amara Farm (in the Grantham area of the Comox Valley). This can lead to problems such as late blight.

This is one of the topics Arzeena will be covering at the Monday, March 17 workshop �Growing Great Tomatoes�. If you haven't pre-registered, now is the time! You wont want to miss this valuable info on growing tomatoes in our region.

The Black Creek Community Centre is very pleased to be hosting a series of workshops by Arzeena Hamir. She holds masters in agriculture, and possesses years of farming experience. She sits on the board of the Comox Valley Seed Savers, and is active in ALR and GMO issues. Before moving to the Comox Valley in 2012, Hamir ran a three acre farm in Richmond, where she was the Food Security Coordinator for the city of Richmond. She also worked as Staff Agrologist at West Coast Seeds. Arzeena now runs the 26-acre Amara Farm, which produces 50 different veggies and fruits, with their biggest crop being garlic, and expects to be certified organic this year. .She sells her produce at the Comox Valley Farmer's Market, as well as through weekly box pickup. The farm runs through the winter, and supports interns, and �woofers� (people who travel and farm in exchange for room and board).

This Saturday's �Growing Great Tomatoes� workshop is both for people who have grown tomatoes for a very long time and have had issues come up (sometimes because our climate has changed, says Hamir,) as well as new gardeners who have not grown tomatoes before. Topics will include starting tomatoes from seed, indoor, outdoor and container tomatoes, soil, pests and disease. Also, Arzeena offers some great growing tips (such as upping the potassium in your soil by placing a banana or seaweed in the planting hole). She can also recommend varieties based on your location.

�When you start from seed, it opens up the possibility of growing pear shaped, striped Roma, yellow pear. . . there are deep purple tomatoes, green zebra . . . they come in many different colours and shapes. Tomatoes are the most popular seeds everyone wants,� [at the seed swap]� says Hamir. �Everybody is looking for something unusual. Some of them often have stories attached to them. When they are as old as pre -world-war-two, they are given the title heirloom or heritage. They have names like Amish Paste � an old variety that the Amish kept alive from mid-central US. One of my favourite varieties is Stupice. It's actually a Polish/Czech variety.�

And, says Arzeena, nothing beats the flavour of a tomato eaten from your greenhouse or garden!

Can you believe it's time to start our tomato seeds already? See you this Monday March 17, 2014. 7p.m. -9 p.m.. $30.00 per person. You must pre-register. Call 250-337-5190. Check out our website ww.bccaonline.ca for more info and more upcoming workshops by Arzeena Hamir.