Tomatoes are a popular garden crop.

They are a top seller at farmers markets, a staple for grocery stores and afavorite food to consume in many households. Pumpkins are also a fun crop to grow, and can be profitable for farmers if they are grown and marketed the right way.

If you would like to learn more about recommended growing practices for these two crops, I would like to invite you to come to our upcoming tomato and pumpkin programs at the Clark County Extension Service.

These programs are designed for those who wish to grow these crops for sale, but home gardeners are welcome to attend.

Specialists from the University of Kentucky will be presenting at the Clark County Extension Office for the tomato meetings, and we will be a viewing site for the pumpkin meetings.

These meetings will be streamed live to multiple counties across Kentucky.

The first meeting will be Thursday. This session on tomatoes will cover tomato marketing in Kentucky, variety selection, insect and mite management and general growing practices.

The second session will be Nov. 21. Topics covered will include common diseases of tomato and disease management practices, abiotic and physiological disorders of tomatoes and weed management options.

December will feature a series of webinars on pumpkin production. Specialist will be presenting via webinar from a different location.

The first class will be Dec. 5, and will be an introduction to pumpkin production. The second class will be Dec. 19 and cover a variety of topics including insect, disease and wildlife management in pumpkins.

Each of these classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Service.

Each of these programs is free.

Call to register to help us plan these programs if you are planning to attend, or contact us if you have any questions about these upcoming classes by calling 744-4682.

David Davis is a Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources in Clark County.