Homegrown Tomato Fest IX
The Fifteenth Annual Homegrown Tomato Fest will take place Saturday,August 10, 2019, from 8-11 a.m. at the Kingsport Farmers’ Market, Center Street & Clinchfield Street
in Kingsport. This celebration of the juicy red fruit features tomato contests,
free tomato tastings (including many heirloom varieties), free tomato refreshments, cooking demonstrations, tomato-growing advice, tomato recipes, activities for kids, and fun for the whole family.
Gather your finest and/or funkiest tomatoes and enter them in the contests for Best Tasting, Biggest, Prettiest, Ugliest, Most Bizarre and/or Best Dressed. Make an extra batch of your favorite salsa recipe and compete for bragging rights in the Best Salsa Contest. Admission is free and there are no entry fees. Entry forms may be downloaded from the SAPS website,www.saps.us, or picked up at Downtown Kingsport Association (DKA) or at the event. Entries will be accepted from 8 – 9 a.m. for all contests, and winners will be announced after 10 a.m.
Volunteers are needed to help slice tomatoes, make tomato sandwiches, staff the salsa booth, coordinate children’s activities, etc. It’s a fun way to spend a Saturday morning and see friends and neighbors at the Farmers’ Market. Your volunteer time counts for your Master Gardener hours. For more information or to volunteer, contact Dennis Marshall, Tomato Fest Chairman, at423-288-3675 or dmarshall@chartertn.net
Homegrown Tomato Fest is sponsored by SAPS and the Downtown Kingsport Association.
SAPS Local Tours
PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO A TOUR OF POPLAR GROVE FARMS GREENHOUSES IN AUGUST
Billy Wright, who owns Poplar Grove Farms in Kingsport will offer SAPS Members a tour of his greenhouses in August. The purpose of this tour is to observe the types of biological controls vs chemical controls he uses within his greenhouses. The time and date will be announced in the August Issue of the Wheelbarrow. Billy will also have some
great plants for us to see and purchase. great time to plant!
In the meantime, please support all our local growers and nurseries. It is a
great time to plant!
OVERSEAS AND IN COUNTRY TOUR AND TRAVEL GROUPS
We are offering to members a few recommendations for anyone interested in garden tours and travel both within the United States and Overseas. Members have travelled with each of these groups and feel confident in suggesting them to you.
Feel free to contact them and ask to be added to their contact list in order to be informed when they have trips available. You may also want to google them for more information, as some have websites and/or Facebook pages.
troybmarden.com Garden Tours and Travel Troy will be announcing his 2019 tours on
August 1. He has already posted a few hints on his Facebook page.
Ron and Linda Williams info@gardentravelers.com or call them at 417-408-3880.
Dr. McDuffie, retired professor from Virginia Tech mcdufftours.com He has already posted all his 2019 tours. Take a look!
Jason Reeves, Horticulturist at UT Gardens in Jackson, TN . Email him and ask to be added to his announcement list when he schedules a tour. jasonreeves3@utk.edu
Dr. Sue Hamilton, Director of UT Gardens in Knoxville schedules garden tours almost every year. Ask her to add you to the announcement list. The announcements can usually be found on the UT Gardens Facebook and email announcements. sueham@utk.edu
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