Official Bio

Craig LeHoullier lives and gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina (as of January 2020; prior to that, he and his wife and pets resided in Raleigh, NC, for 28 years). A Rhode Island native, he caught the gardening passion from his grandfather, Walter, and dad, Wilfred. Craig achieved his PhD in chemistry at Dartmouth College, which resulted in a 25 year career in pharmaceuticals that ended in 2009.

Craig's gardening obsession, which started the year he and Susan were married (and their first garden, in 1981), is passing through several stages. His love of heirloom tomatoes began with his joining the Seed Savers Exchange, an organization for which he continues to serve as adviser for tomatoes, in 1986. He is responsible for naming and popularizing many well known tomatoes, such as Cherokee Purple, Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom and Lucky Cross.

In 2005 he added amateur tomato breeding to his garden resume, and continues to co-lead the Dwarf Tomato Breeding project, responsible for creating 145 (and counting) new compact growing varieties for space-challenged gardeners. His writing career kicked off with a 2012 request from Storey Publishing to write a book on tomatoes, resulting in Epic Tomatoes (2014). His second book, Growing Vegetables in Straw bales, soon followed (2016). Book 3, focusing on the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, is in progress and should be completed during 2024 as a self-published creation. Craig decided to formally close the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project in December 2023.

Craig is a popular lecturer across the country at major gardening events, and via Zoom from his home office, as well as a frequent guest on podcasts and radio shows. His current and upcoming projects include a weekly Instagram Live each Friday at 3 PM Eastern from his garden throughout the growing season (typically from March to September), and additional opportunities on podcasts, webinars and speaking opportunities, as they arise. Perhaps the most exciting current venture is a collaborative on-line tomato course, Growing Epic Tomatoes, with world renown gardener Joe Lamp’l, as part of Joe’s Organic Gardening Academy. The second season of the course launched in late February 2022, and as of autumn, the course is now evergreen, available to purchase and experience at your convenience.

Photos

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