KQED's Forum Summer Gardening: Tomatoes, Zucchini and Climate Change
May 9, 2025
Flora Grubb, owner of Flora Grubb Gardens, Leslie Bennett, creative director of Pine House Edible Gardens, and Allison Greenlawn, a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension, dive into the delights and challenges of summer gardening. They share tips for growing plump tomatoes and abundant zucchini, discuss adapting planting strategies to climate change, and explore sustainable practices. Their insights on selecting native plants and creating fire-safe gardens make for an engaging conversation ripe with practical advice and community involvement.
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Personal Summer Garden Success
- Alexis Madrigal shares his thriving summer garden including ancestral Central Mexican tomatoes and tall Scarlet Runner beans.
- His daughter eagerly counts days until strawberries ripen, highlighting gardening joys this year.
Spring Garden Preparation Tips
- Amend your vegetable garden with compost now to enrich soil for summer plants.
- Keep up with weeding and harvest early and often for better garden health and productivity.
Tomato Variety Selection Advice
- Grow tomato varieties that you love and cover early, mid, and late season harvests for continuous yield.
- Cherry tomatoes like Sweet 100 start early, Early Girl for mid-season, and switch heirlooms for variety.