Tomato Day Set For July 25 in Wichita
Event Includes First Topsy-Turvy Tomato Contest
WICHITA, Kan. – The day will be all about tomatoes at the 20th Annual Tomato Day on Sat., July 25th from 7 a.m. until noon at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 7001 W. 21st St. N. (21st and Ridge) in Wichita.
The event, which is sponsored by the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners, will provide information on selecting, planting, maintaining, and cooking with tomatoes. Admission is free.
Gardeners are encouraged to bring their home-grown tomatoes and enter them in the Ugliest, Largest, Best Plate of Roma, Cherry, Grape or Tomatillo contests. Cooks in the family can enter Fresh or Preserved Salsa or Other Preserved Tomato Product. All preserved products must meet U.S. Department of Agriculture- approved processing methods; this information is available at the Extension Office.
New this year is the Topsy-Turvy Tomato contest, sponsored by KWCH Television Channel 12. The Tomato Photography contest returns with categories of Mr. Tomato Head, The Artistic Tomato and All Natural Tomato. Prizes will be given in all contests and categories.
Activities in the 4-H Hall will include: Fried Green Tomato & Salsa Tasting; Youth Activity- Making Tomato Critters; Plant Diagnostic Lab; Garden Magazine Sale; Tomato and Salsa Contests with prizes; and an Iris Rhizomes sale by the Wichita Iris Society.
Brunch will be provided by La Familia Senior Community Center.
The Kansas Grown! Farmer's Market will be in the parking lot and Plant A Row for the Hungry will collect garden produce for the Kansas Food Bank.
Seminars in the Demonstration Garden and Sunflower Room include appropriate topics for both the homeowner and commercial audience.
Seminars to be held in the Demonstration Garden include:
8:00 Composting Demonstration
8:30 Growing Vegetables, Flowers & Herbs
9:15 Organically Grown Tomatoes
Tour of Low Maintenance Plants for Kansas
9:45 Topsy-Turvy Tomato Contest Judging
10:00 Growing Tomatoes in Earth Boxes®
10:30 Tomato Training & Trellising
11:00 Tomato Diseases
11:30 Growing a Variety of Peppers
Seminars to be held in the Sunflower Room include:
9:00 Canning and Preserving Tomatoes – Lisa Friesen – Sedgwick County Extension Agent
10:30 Tasty Tomatoes – Tanya Tandoc
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Story by: Rebecca McMahon
rmcmahon@ksu.eduK-State Research & Extension News Rebecca McMahon – 316-660-0100 Ext. 0142.