Ask anyone about horticulture in Rowan County and they will tell you the county is famous for its wonderful tomatoes. Commercial tomato and other vegetable production got started during the early part of the century in the Woodleaf and China Grove areas. In comparison to traditional agricultural crops such as corn and small grain, vegetables are a relatively new commodity for this area. The popularity of tomatoes and vegetables expanded because of the growers’ ability to produce early, high- quality fruit.

Much of the early success was directly related to early use of overhead irrigation. As you can imagine, especially with the current drought Rowan is experiencing, irrigation is a must to ensure viable, productive crops. Frank Patterson, a retired tomato producer from China Grove, grew up using used steel pipe for irrigation during the early ’40s because of the war. Steel, and later, aluminum irrigation systems have now evolved into plastic trickle pipe under plastic covers.

Tilling was the best method of weed control in the 1940s. Use of herbicides after World War II, especially pre-emergence herbicides in the ’60s and ’70s reduced labor and increased profits. Herbicides were touted in the ’70s and ’80s as the only real way to control weeds. Now, however, conventional tillage and herbicides are bowing to double cropping and no-till vegetables. Tomato and vegetable producers are experimenting with no-till crops that have effectively worked for corn and small grain producers.

The actual tonnage per acre of tomatoes has almost doubled in the past 25 years with average yields of 30 tons of tomatoes per acre. Even though the actual number of tomato and vegetable producers has decreased, the total acreage has increased.

Tomato producers also have taken advantage of an intense commercial tomato-breeding program at N.C. State University. Dr. Randy Gardner, tomato breeder at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Fletcher, has worked with local producers developing very productive, attractive, disease-resistant tomatoes.

Urban horticulture has also experienced radical changes throughout the county. Twenty years ago, there were only five landscape maintenance contractors in the county. It is estimated that more than 50 landscape professionals now have a stake in the Rowan County landscape maintenance industry. Construction of approximately 40 residential homes and other structures each month in Rowan County provides ample opportunity for this young industry.

Homeowners have more leisure time for urban gardening. If you have any doubts, try finding a parking space at retail garden centers and other outlets in early spring.

There were only 20 basic shrubs used in landscape plant-ings in the 1950s. Landscapes of this era consisted of nandina, azaleas, hollies or camellias. Today, many nursery catalogs list over 200 different types of hollies alone, not to mention a vast number of other trees, shrubs and perennials. Plants I learned as weeds in the ’70s are now hybridized as perennial plants and as shrub borders.