Mountain Tomatoes

Rocky Mountain Gardening Elective

No more green tomatoes! A ripe tomato is truly the Holy Grail of the mountain garden. Technically, the mountains and tomatoes do not get along. Learn about tomato varieties for all elevations from around the world, especially those grown in climates like ours. This course covers seed starting, seed adaptation, soil preparation, organic fertilizers and non-toxic bug and disease control, and gives ideas for night-time covers and structures. High-altitude adapted tomato seeds and plants are available for purchase. See demonstrations for tomato seed saving and seed starting and find out how to source seeds and plants right for your climate.

Price: $38, $32 member

Instructors: Penn and Cord Parmenter

Penn and Cord Parmenter are high-altitude food and seed growers. When they began homesteading in 1991, the Parmenters were told tomatoes don't grow in the mountains. Today, they work with 250 varieties of tomatoes at 8,120 feet in the Wet Mountains. They apply a multitude of techniques to overcome the challenges of growing tomatoes in the high country. They own Smart Greenhouses LLC, a sustainable greenhouse design and build company, and Miss Penn's Mountain Seeds, providing regionally adapted seeds for extreme climates. They are celebrating over three decades of growing seasons in the Rockies!