Radar

TANIA SCOTT IS ON A MISSION to get Albertans growing. She wants everyone to experience the flavour explosion that comes with biting into a big juicy tomato picked right off the vine. And she’s sure you can do it, easily.

“I really want people to grow more food,” says Scott. “It’s something we can do on a balcony. It doesn’t have to be a huge space.” There’s tremendous joy, she notes, in nurturing a plant — and then eating it. Not to mention the enhanced nutrient content. People need not be intimidated. “I always say, the seed knows what to do.”

Her home-based business, Common Sense Seeds, grew from a serious passion for tomatoes. Now she sells various vegetable seeds online and at The Apothecary in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood. Her husband Kevin and her 16-year-old son Alex help, too.

Scott began saving her own seeds and then started sourcing from growers around the world. She looks for varieties that work best in Alberta’s cooler climate and shorter growing season. Her website is chock-full of advice, background information and history — you can tell she’s also a teacher. For example, she’ll teach you that blue tomatoes are packed with anthocyanins, and their pigment helps block the sun, making them a water-wise variety.

Advice for newbie gardeners? Start small. A windowsill box, a small patch, planted with leafy greens. Maybe some tomatoes and carrots. Don’t over-plant. Enjoy the process, get to know your plants, and watch them grow. (You might need to do a little bit of weeding, too.) The rewards? Priceless.

“It’s really the joy and the variety and the diversity,” she says. “You taste a tomato, and you just know that that is what it should taste like.”