Craig met his wife, Sue, now a retired nurse, while he was earning his doctorate in chemistry at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Video by Andrea Weigl, aweigl@newsobserver.com Within reason, of course. An Evening with Craig LeHoullier, The NC Tomato Man. There’s a variety out there for everyone,” LeHoullier said. If you are worried about late blight specifically, the hygiene regimen also includes discarding any potato tubers missed at fall harvest, and these other steps . Much success in growing tomatoes can be attributed to use of a few proven techniques. When he and his wife moved to Hendersonville in January, they had about 25 boxes of tomato seeds. Close up of the ‘experimental plant’. LeHoullier didn’t plant his own garden until years later though – shortly after he married his wife when he was earning his PhD in chemistry at Dartmouth College. But it felt like the right time to start anew. All tomatoes grown in North Carolina are grown for fresh market and the majority of the industry utilizes the plasticulture system with raised beds covered with plastic, drip irrigation, fumigation of soils and the string-weave culture system. “I’m happy to be an ambassador for tomatoes. Now gardeners all across the country know Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh as the NC Tomato Man. Some of the gardening magazines he read had seed shares and ads for seed saver exchanges. Still, he loves working with heirlooms, and he loves sharing what he’s learned with others. “I think it’s a great tribute to these people’s families that people can read the stories of these great varieties,” LeHoullier said. “I like to go out and have a conversation with fellow gardeners,” he explains. Pretty plants but no beans. It’s an odd fact in a love affair that certainly didn’t begin with love at first sight. Two NC companies are making salt a local commodity, The Rev. There’s always something new to see and something new to share,” LeHoullier said. Submit Photos . . The far left plant is the one I am growning for NC Tomato Man. He may be best known as the man who named the Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato and saved it from extinction. Class #2 - We’re excited to welcome back Dr. Craig LeHoullier, the NC Tomato Man! For squirrels he recommends installing bird feeders and a birdbath. NC Tomato Man, Craig LeHoullier Getting Dirty in Your Garden Extension Master Gardener Radio Show and Podcast Tune in for expert advise on selecting and growing tomatoes in North Carolina. Perhaps you also have a local tomato grower in your area like The Tomato Man’s Daughter in Tulsa, Oklahoma. TomatoMan® Where science and old world horticulture come together. The Tomato Festival’s grand finale – The Acme Tomato & Wine Dinner. John Green in Sevierville, Tennessee, apparently caught wind of LeHoullier because he sent LeHoullier seeds from an unusual tomato variety without a name. A love rooted in gardening His fame in the tomato world may seem a far cry from the kid who had never tried a tomato, but the truth is, a love of gardening was planted in him at an early age. Every year, Lisa Merrell saves seed from her tomatoes and sells plants of open-pollinated varieties of tomatoes and peppers. "Epic Tomatoes" - by Craig LeHoullier Savor your best tomato harvest ever! “Frost cloth covering the plants will prevent the rabbits from eating them.”. Friday July 28th 7-9pm Seeds on 36th: Urban Farm Store. I always know where he is. The NC Tomato Man, as he is sometimes called, has trialed more than 2,000 different tomato varieties and introduced more than 100 to the trade, and he even named the popular and distinctive ‘Cherokee Purple,’ in 1990. Better Boy, Whopper, Celebrity, and Mountain Pride are among some of the best selections. Buy Photo. “We’d call them our annual tomato friends.”. Craig Lehoullier - Saturday, April 29 at 10am. As a child, Craig LeHoullier really disliked tomatoes. “We ended up making friends for life from our plant sales,” LeHoullier said. This Monday, July 17 th. We’re excited to welcome back Dr. Craig LeHoullier, the NC Tomato Man! He grows about 150 to 200 varieties of tomatoes each year, plus eggplants, peppers and other vegetables. Dr. LeHoullier has been growing tomatoes and other heirloom vegetables for decades. He started releasing the new varieties around 2010, and currently 123 different varieties have resulted from the Dwarf Tomato Project. The NC Tomato Man! The North Carolina Collection preserves and makes available the historical record of the city and county of Durham. Craig LeHoullier shares his advice for four easy tomato preparations to enjoy now and later. “I’m still doing it because going to look at the garden in the morning still gets me out of bed. That tomato was the seed that grew into a lifelong interest in growing tomatoes and sharing them with other people. The Sun Gold tops his list of favorites. You can load the map to see all places where to pick tomatoes in North Carolina, NC for a better overview and navigation. Pick your own (u-pick) tomatoes farms, patches and orchards in North Carolina, NC. “The birds drop seed that the squirrels eat, and they can get water from the birdbath,” he advises. He hopes the varieties he’s bred will be the heirlooms of tomorrow. One man sent LeHoullier seeds that his grandmother brought from Italy in 1917. Ongoing work While it may seem like blasphemy, his favorite tomato variety is actually a hybrid though. For many years, he sold the seedlings at the State Farmers Market, and he gave away many of them also. His work for pharmaceutical corporations took them first to Philadelphia, then to Charlotte. North Carolina’s range of climate affects how different varieties will grow. North Carolina’s “Tomato Man” makes a mark saving and sharing heirloom tomatoes By Brandon Herring on July 16, 2020 Many North Carolinians may know Craig LeHoullier simply as “the Tomato Man” or maybe “the North Carolina Tomato Man” if they’re being specific. Many people also may recognize LeHoullier from the many years he spent selling heirloom tomato seedlings at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. Margaret Buranen writes from her home in Kentucky. Green had gotten the seeds from a friend whose family had acquired them from Cherokees in the area many decades earlier. Craig has written two gardening books (“Epic Tomatoes” and “Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales”), with a third forthcoming, on dwarf tomatoes. Craig Lehoullier, a retired scientist living in Raleigh, is North Carolina's Tomato Man. Those are green beans behind the tomato plants. That was 1981, and he didn’t start dabbling in heirloom tomatoes until 1986. Dr. LeHoullier has been growing tomatoes and other heirloom vegetables for decades. Visit craiglehoullier.com for his schedule and to read his gardening blog. Gardening, for me, is a lifelong passion. He’s also become a sought-after speaker about gardening, and he’s written two books titled Epic Tomatoes and Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales (both from Storey Publishing). That taste of tomato was like water to a seed – a catalyst to help a love of gardening grow. The coastal storm led to a mandatory evacuation from Ocracoke last Friday, so we missed out on week 2 (and part of week 1, to tell the truth). The NC Tomato Man! He was still participating in the heirloom seed exchanges such as Seed Savers Exchange. Soil temperatures have warmed into the 60’s and there is little chance we will see another frost this spring in central North Carolina, which means it is time to plant warm season crops. And, yes, he’s great and fun and happy to answer all your tomato queries. Although he thought the tomato was ugly, it was delicious and unique. Taken 7/10/19. ... man we had arrived Yes we fell from grace at Cora’s Place LeHoullier grew tomatoes from the seeds and saw for himself the unusual purple tone that Green said the tomatoes had. 2. …What heirlooms give you is a tremendous variety of size, color, flavor, shape and nuances of flavor,” LeHoullier said. Craig Lehoullier - Saturday, April 29 at 1pm. Over the past 30 years, LeHoullier has received many, many more heirloom varieties seeds, and he feels like he’s become a guardian of those seeds. He developed an interest in finding rare varieties of plants and keeping them from becoming extinct. Filter by sub-region or select one of u-pick fruits, vegetables, berries. Tomato Man Inc is a North Carolina Business Corporation filed on September 1, 2012. Craig estimates that over the years he has tasted about 4,000 different types of tomatoes. Dr. LeHoullier, tomato adviser for Seed Savers Exchange, offers everything a tomato enthusiast needs to know about growing more than 200 varieties of tomatoes — from sowing seeds and planting to cultivating and collecting seeds at the end of the season. These are the plants on the front porch. No gardeners in history have ever had so many tomato varieties to choose from,” Craig says. Some of LeHoullier’s earliest memories are of walking through his grandfather’s garden with him, and he has early memories of his father’s garden too. “I share, they share, and I learn from them.”. His garden grows entirely in containers or straw bales. Photos. Naming the Cherokee Purple By 1990, he was gardening in Pennsylvania, prior to his move to Raleigh, working for Smith Kline Beecham (which later merged with another company to become Glaxo Smith Kline). Joining Seed Savers in 1986 (seedsavers.org) took Craig beyond basic gardening. Be sure, also, to sample some of … Choosing a variety that has proven to be a true performer should be at the top of every gardener's list. « Today’s Topic: New program aims to increase meat processing capacity in the state. He tasted the great flavor too. Although my expertise is in heirloom tomatoes, I love to grow everything - vegetables, flowers, and herbs, in as many ways as possible. Otherwise, many of those old tomato varieties may have been lost forever when no one decided to grow them anymore or pass down their seeds. ... Durham County Library Hosts NC Tomato Man and Author Craig LeHoullier. …but he never even ate a tomato until he was a teenager. Living with a man … I’m kind of a foodie [for tomatoes], like people who enjoy different coffees or teas.”. LeHoullier has a new book, "Epic Tomatoes." Sudden changes in soil moisture can cause concentric cracks to form around the top of tomato fruits. He’s become known internationally for resurrecting thousands of varieties of heirloom tomato seeds and making them available for others to grow. Most of the ones he’s worked on with an Australian friend, and their team of more than 700 amateur volunteers from across the world, are dwarf varieties aimed at being more manageable for people growing tomatoes in smaller spaces. His seedlings and books will be available for sale. “In 1990, John Green and I were the only people who knew that tomato existed. That love affair has brought LeHoullier to what he describes as a sort of calling – a purpose in life, or at least a passion. Raleigh's Craig LeHoullier, aka NC Tomato Man, shows how to make stoplight salsa. But when Craig was about 12, his grandfather offered him a tomato he had grown. The green beans are on pots below the porch. 3. “Tomatoes are approaching roses in terms of getting them to succeed everywhere,” he says, “but every disease, [type of] weather, humidity and critter seems to affect tomatoes.”, Because not all tomato varieties will thrive everywhere, he always advises gardeners to have an open mind. Make Salsa: Chop 1 green onion (both white and green parts) per each diced tomato… “It has all felt like a natural progression and felt like the right thing that I should be doing.”, © 2015, N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He speaks at gardening shows and events, but don’t expect formal lectures. No gardeners in history have ever had so many tomato varieties to choose from,” Craig says. He got a few heirloom tomatoes and was hooked. “This is the tomato’s time. 6,596 Followers, 93 Following, 1,590 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Craig LeHoullier (@nctomatoman) But that's mostly because of SPLAT (South Carolina Piedmont Lycopersicum Annual Tasting), aka the big tomato-tasting party that Winn and his wife, Karen, host every July in his 3-acre garden in Little Mountain, South Carolina. Join the North Carolina Tomato Man —author of the books Epic Tomatoes and Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales; co-organizer of Tomatopalooza, an heirloom-tomato tasting event; and cofounder of an international tomato breeding project—as he shares his love of heirloom tomatoes, great stories of special varieties, and tips on succeeding in our challenging climate. He admits he assumed tomatoes must be “horrendous” until he eventually tried one from his grandfather’s garden. So McCormack offered the tomatoes as Cherokee Purple in his 1993 seed catalogue, making it available to the general public for the first time. Their motion sensors shoot out bursts of water to scare the animals away. And in the Midlands of South Carolina, he's known as the Tomato Man. “This is the tomato’s time. Seed Starting w/ NC Tomato Man. …but he never even ate a tomato until he was a teenager. “Also, you can’t be a seed saver and share with hybrids.”. “This is the tomato’s time. “My grandfather’s tomato kind of captivated my taste buds,” he said. Please join us at my new website www.craiglehoullier.com See you there! I look forward to some tomato talk, perhaps a bit of looking back, as well as looking ahead. LeHoullier grew more tomatoes from those seeds, saved the new seeds and shared them with the Victory Seeds catalogue to sell to the public. “I’m happy to be an ambassador for tomatoes. Becoming a guardian of more heirlooms Lots of similar stories have followed since then. 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