Mark Hutton will lead an outdoor presentation on How to Grow Tasty, Beautiful Tomatoes, Tuesday, July 15, at 12 p.m., at Merryspring Nature Center.

As the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Vegetable Specialist, Hutton assists Maine farmers in growing high quality vegetables, and conducts research in vegetable production management. He also works with home gardeners through the Extension’s Master Gardener Program. 

In this workshop Hutton will discuss how to produce tasty, beautiful tomatoes in your home garden starting with seeds, growing and planting transplants, ground preparation and use of mulches. Pruning and training, and common insects and diseases will also be discussed. He will demonstrate hands-on pruning and trellising as well as identifying and correcting nutritional and/or health problems. There will also be a chance to rave about your favorite varieties and warn others of poor varieties. 

This in-person talk is part of the Summer Talk Series co-sponsored by Reny’s, a Maine Adventure and Camden Riverhouse Hotel.

Attendance is free for members; $10 for non-members. 

Merryspring is your community nature center offering walking trails, cultivated gardens, wildlife, and ecology and horticulture educational programs all year round. The park is located at the end of Conway Road, just off of Route 1 in Camden behind Hannaford Shopping Plaza. For more information on this program, please contact info@merryspring.org or call 207-236-2239.