Retired biology teacher now a tomato-whisperer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2021 (619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jerry Ilchyna is well-known in St. Vital, as he was a biology teacher for many years at Dakota Collegiate.

Jerry grew up on a farm near Anola, Man., where he used to work in the fields when he was a young boy, and he still likes working the fields. Every year, Jerry drives multiple times to the family farm and tends to the vegetables he has planted. I have been the fortunate recipient of some of those vegetables.

What struck me this spring when Jerry asked me if I would like any tomato plants was how many different varieties he grew. It turns out he grows 16 varieties of heritage tomatoes and a few hybrids. One of the hybrids is called tigerella, so named because the tomatoes have some stripes in them.

Decades ago, a fellow Dakota teacher, Doug Wright (who taught me mathematics) gave Jerry all of the varieties his mother brought with her from the Ukraine when they immigrated to Canada. Jerry has diligently maintained the different types of tomatoes ever since.

There are small tomatoes, regular size and large ones. One of his tomatoes grew to four pounds. Some of them he has named for co-workers, such as the Evie, named for Evie Kosack, a former business teacher at Dakota.

He starts with around 100 plants he cultivates from seed during the winter and then transplants to peat pots when they are four inches high. In late May, he offers some to his friends.

When he handed me the plants in the spring, they came with clear instructions on how to plant them, what fertilizer to use, watering instructions, the use of eggshells when planting, etc.

I tried, but my plants did not prosper the way Jerry’s do. I did, however, have more success than last year so I am improving. I just have more to learn.

“Tomatoes want consistent watering,” Jerry tells me. “Some people found their tomatoes had bottom rot (also called blossom-end rot). They must have watered them too much.

“And remember to pick off the yellow flowers after mid-august. There is simply not enough time left in the growing season for a new tomato to develop and the plant will more efficiently use its energy on tomatoes already growing.”

Some of my friends have great success planting tomatoes while others … not so much. Regardless of success, it is an interesting process. I love this time of year, when the crops are harvested. Even a year like this, when the severe drought negatively impacted so many crops.

What I really enjoy is Jerry’s passion for plants and his willingness to share his knowledge with others, usually in a humorous manner. It is always a treat to visit with Jerry and I often come away having learned something.

He’s still teaching.
 
John Hindle is a community correspondent for St. Vital. Email him at john@johnhindle.com