By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
For Pat Jokajtys, the green thumb is hereditary.
“I think I get it from my grandfather,” said Jokajtys.
Growing up in Westchester County, Jokajtys’ grandfather maintained a huge garden and raised chickens — an unusual pastime in the New York metropolitan area. Jokajtys, a Baldwinsville resident, is an Onondaga County Master Gardener, and her brother is a plant pathologist.
This weekend, aspiring vegetable gardeners can cultivate Jokajtys’ wisdom at the annual Native Plant Sale and Garden Festival, which takes place June 2 through 4 at Baltimore Woods Nature Center. Jokajtys will present a workshop on growing companion plants to benefit heirloom tomatoes.
“Companion planting is a belief that certain vegetables will benefit from being next to certain other vegetables,” Jokajtys explained. “Putting certain herbs or vegetables next to plants in your garden … will encourage pollination and discourage pests.”
While basil and mint are suitable companions for tomatoes, marigolds also lend a helping leaf. The pungent blooms produce alpha-terthienyl, a compound that deters root-knot nematodes and other pests.
At the plant sale, Jokajtys also will sell her own tomato plants, many of which are small and suitable for container gardening. Such varieties include Red Robin, Bush Early Girl, Glacier and a patio hybrid.
“A tomato plant has a very big footprint,” she said. “One little tomato seedling you might see at the farmers market will grow to be … six feet tall.”
All of Jokajtys’ plants are organic, and she prefers to fertilize them with fish emulsion and worm castings. Most of her stock for this year is sold out, but she is already thinking about 2018.
“I’ll pay attention to what people buy a lot of from one year to the next and I’ll up the production of those,” said Jokajtys, adding that she takes requests for certain varieties. Interested gardeners may email her at [email protected].
‘Tomato groupies’
Jokajtys hasn’t always been an expert on heirloom tomatoes. About 20 years ago, she picked up vegetable gardening as a hobby during her teaching days. (Jokajtys taught English for 34 years, most of them at Durgee Junior High School.)
“I was a frustrated gardener for many years,” she said. “I lived in the village of Baldwinsville and had bad soil.”
Fortunately, Jokajtys discovered raised beds, which conserve space and water, extend the growing season and make it easy to control soil conditions. Now, her garden features 20 raised beds.
“I’ve actually picked stuff into December — pulled carrots, picked kale,” she said.
There’s an added benefit of raised beds for those who discover gardening in retirement.
“For those of us who are baby boomers, it’s easier on your back,” Jokajtys said.
As her gardening prowess grew, Jokajtys shared the fruits of her labor with her teaching colleagues. She calls them her “tomato groupies.”
“They ask, ‘Are you still growing your tomatoes?’” she said. “This is my little avocation.”
Jokajtys took six to eight months of courses to become an Onondaga County Master Gardener through Cornell Cooperative Extension.
“It’s a great fit for me as a former teacher because I like to go out and share my knowledge of gardening,” she said.
Jokajtys has been certified for eight years, and as her expertise grows, so does her fanbase.
“Each year my tomatoes grow in terms of their reputation,” she said.
She may be a Master Gardener, but Jokajtys said she still learns every year, and she finds joy in her second career.
“In the middle of my vegetables will always be herbs and flowers — but they’re pretty,” she said. “I just love going out there and picking stuff and bringing it in for supper.”
