By Karolyn Gephart
Tomatoes are the top home-grown vegetable by gardeners in Texas. While experiencing the January/February temperatures, it is not too early for gardeners to start planning which tomatoes will be planted at the beginning of March.
To help gardeners with that decision, ‘tomato guru’ and Galveston County Master Gardener Ira Gervais will present Tips for Success with Tomatoes at Friendswood’s next Heritage Gardener meeting.
The meeting will be on Thursday, February 6, beginning at 9:30 am for a meet and greet. The presentation will start at 10 am. Anyone interested in hearing about tomatoes is invited to attend. The Heritage Gardener meeting is at 112 W. Spreading Oaks in Friendswood.
Gervais became a master gardener in 2011 along with his wife Sandra. The two are actively involved in the Texas A&M AgriLife master gardener program in La Marque.
This is not his first presentation on the vegetables he loves to grow. Gervais’ success stories with tomatoes are shared with others annually in a three-part presentation program offered by the master gardener program in La Marque. The free sessions do not have to be attended in order and cover varieties, tips for success, maintenance, pests, fertilization, soil, and more.
Gervais served as Galveston County Master Gardener Association (GCMG) president from 2014 to 2017. During his term, he helped increase plant sale revenue from $5,000 to $55,000 by working with County Commissioners to have the MG sales at Jack Brooks Park rodeo arena.
Since COVID, the sales are now online as well as in person at the La Marque site at Carbide Park. He also presided over having bylaw updates, hosting the Texas Master Gardener State Conference in Galveston, and arranging construction to turn the tractor barn into the Discovery House and kitchen. During his term, the association won awards in various areas from the state organization.
During the education of interns in the MG program, Gervais assists with a large tomato trial project. The result of the interns’ research beds not only provides a tasting event for MGs, but also a list of the year’s winning varieties, food donated to local food banks, and a lifelong admiration for Gervais for sharing his knowledge with them. They gifted him the name ‘Tomato Guru.’
He and his wife Sandra live in Friendswood.
The GCMGA is hosting the first online plant sale of the year on February 17-18 from noon to noon at www.txmg.org/galveston. Tomato varieties mentioned by Gervais will be available at that time. The sale will include fruit and citrus trees, peppers, potatoes, lilies, and perennials. After ordering, there will be a drive-through pickup in Carbide Park next week, where MGs will load cars for buyers.
