We have had a phenomenal year in Magoffin County Grow Appalachia! I look for even more great things to happen as we transition into the fall and finish harvesting and preserving.
Looking back on the summer, we’ve done so much that I’ve failed to mention. In addition to our regular monthly classes, we’ve had several educational opportunities which many of GA participants have taken full advantage.
One of the favorites among our growers was a tomato trellising and pruning workshop. They learned the art of trellising tomatoes by utilizing the Florida Weave.
David Cooke, Executive Director of Grow Appalachia, joined me (Courtney Jenkins, CEA for ANR) on June 12th at the home of Tim and Diane Howard on Cripple Creek to demonstrate the popular technique. The Florida Weave is commonly used in commercial systems to support indeterminate tomatoes as they grow. Trellising allows air flow between the plants and keeps the foliage off the ground, lessening the likelihood of bacterial and fungal diseases.
In addition, participants learned to prune their tomatoes, a practice that enhances growth and encourages larger fruit development. All of our growers who attended were involved and everyone learned this important skill.
We are also looking forward to our Food Preservation workshop series next week. A retired FCS agent will be helping me teach the class and we’ll be canning green beans, tomatoes, salsa, freezing corn, drying apples, and making freezer jam.
I’ll be teaching a cover crop lesson Monday as well, so even though we’re preparing to wrap up the season, we still have a lot to learn and discuss!