Tomato and chilli exhibition opens at Tallinn Botanic Garden on Saturday

From 6-14 September, 11:00–19:00, Tallinn Botanic Garden in cooperation with Grandmother’s Garden presents the exhibition "Chillies and Tomatoes", featuring around 80 varieties of tomatoes and 30 varieties of chillies. There will also be guided tours, lectures, tastings and the exchange and sale of heirloom seeds.

The selection of specimens in the "Chillies and Tomatoes" exhibition is based on years of variety collection, seed exchange, and practical cultivation work. Most of the varieties have been preserved thanks to a network of hobby growers and seed savers.

"If you come to the exhibition in hopes of seeing something completely new and incredible in the world of tomatoes and chillies, you will," says Tiia Morfin, head of Grandmother's Garden in Valga County. “The indigenous varieties that we grow ourselves have become so rare that often their smell and taste are preserved only in the stories of our grandparents. Despite a gardening season fraught with crop failures, we’ve brought around 80 different varieties of tomatoes and 30 varieties of chillies for visitors to see. I'll be sharing my experiences with cultivating and we'll refresh our memories and seed stores, so we'll have something to put on our grandchildren’s sandwiches.”

In addition to varieties of Estonian origin, tomatoes and chillies from other parts of the world will be introduced.

Each variety is accompanied by a short description (origin, background story, shape, taste, growth type, etc.) to give visitors an overview of their diversity. These descriptions also help visitors choose suitable varieties for their own gardens. Participants of the lecture-discussion sessions will get to hear Tiia Morfin talk about growing tomatoes and chillies, as well as have the opportunity to take part in tastings. There will be an exchange and sale of heirloom seeds.

Events programme:

6 September, 12:00–14:00 Lecture-workshop "Tomatoes in the Home Garden"

6 September, 14:00–15:00 Sensory Garden Tour

7 September, 12:00–14:00, lecture-workshop “Chillies and Peppers in the Home Garden”.

7 September, 14:00–15:00 Sensory Garden Tour

13 September, 14:00–15:00 Sensory Garden Tour

14 September, 14:00–15:00 Sensory Garden Tour

14 September, 15:00 Exhibition Closing Event: Tiia Morfin’s lecture “Growing Heirloom Varieties in the Home Garden,” followed by a tasting of the exhibits, an auction, and heirloom seed exchange and sale.

You can register for the lectures and tours on the Tallinn Botanic Garden’s website at botaanikaaed.ee.

All events are included in the Botanic Garden admission fee. Tallinn Botanic Garden is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, the Palm House is open from 11:00 to 19:00.

 

Founded in 1961, the Tallinn Botanic Garden is a research, educational and cultural institution that focuses on the protection and introduction of plants. It is situated on a 40-hectare area next to the Pirita River Valley. In total, around 8500 plant species grow here in open air and in greenhouses. The mission of the Tallinn Botanic Garden is to preserve, develop and introduce rich plant collections and herbaria and carry out research and nature education work to preserve and increase biodiversity. Tallinn Botanic Garden aims to be an advocate for a modern, environmentally-conscious mindset and the promotion of garden and landscape design.

OÜ Vanaema Aed operates in the Karula National Park in Valga County, where it collects and shares information about indigenous garden plants, farm flowers, fruit trees, berry bushes and ornamental trees; collects the heritage of old plant species and varieties grown in farm gardens; collects seeds of preserved old varieties for the South Estonian Collection Garden, where these species and varieties are preserved and propagated. Grandmother’s Garden is Estonia's largest indigenous plant seed storage and collection garden. Grandmother's Garden is run by native gardener Tiia Morfin. Morfin has studied horticulture and landscape architecture at Räpina Horticultural School and nature tourism at the University of Life Sciences. More information on the website vanaemaaed.ee and FB: vanaemaaed.