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All About Tomatoes!

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On this week’s Good to Grow, hosts Denise, Jan and John will talk all about tomatoes and tomato season. It is that time of the year to see the fruits of your labor coming to fruition. Our hosts will talk about the right timing for your harvest, some tomato recipes, and different signs of disease before harvesting your tomatoes.

Pro-Tip: You don’t have to wait until your tomatoes are bright red on the vine, but when they start to get that blush of color, it’s really a good time to harvest them and bring them into your home. Don’t put your harvested tomatoes in the fridge because they will quit ripening.

The El Paso County Master Gardeners started in 1981 and has been growing with many volunteers and Master Gardeners ever since. The love of gardening and search for knowledge are primary reasons people join the program to become trained and certified Master Gardeners. Texas Master Gardeners are united in name, but the program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves.

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This program originally aired on June 27, 2026.

Denise S. Rodriguez, County Administrator and Horticulture Extension Agent, is an El Paso native who earned her BS and MS in Horticulture at New Mexico State University. Denise previously worked at the AgriLife Research Center at El Paso where she was part of a research team focusing on determining the drought and salt tolerance of low water use plants in urban horticulture. She has tailored her home gardens to be kid friendly in hopes of inspiring her own children to engage in gardening.
Jan Petrzelka is a voluntter host on Good To grow on Saturdays at 11:15 AM. She is a Master Gardner with the Texas A&M Extension service and conducts workshops on gardening.
John White is a co-host of Good To Grow on KTEP and a curator of the Chihuahua Desert Garden at the University of Texas at El Paso. John is a professional Horticulturist and earned his Masters of Science in Horticulture from New Mexico State University.
Arely Avitia manages website content, graphic design and is part of the student outreach team. She works with audio producers to update production archives and news content, as well as maintain reporting for music licensing.
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