ONE of the UK's leading tomato experts will give a talk about Organic Gardening in the North at Otley Courthouse this month.

West Yorkshire Organic Group member Terry Marshall is a familiar face to thousands of organic gardeners across the country who have read his articles, delved into his books or heard him speak.

Terry will be talking about how to grow delicious produce in Yorkshire, without the use of pesticides and fungicides, when he visits on Friday, February 26.

His talk, a fundraiser for the Courthouse, start at 7.30pm and will see him discuss the crucial role played by soil varieties, timing and technique.

A relatively brief foray into commercial tomato production at the start of his career convinced him that organic was the way to grow because it "sustains the soil, which produces crops free from chemical taint.”

Terry has been using organic methods from the very beginning, when he learned and perfected his skills on his father’s plot in Cottingley Bridge allotment gardens.

He continues to garden at the site, with family members including his seven year old great-grandson, Jeremy, to this day.

As an active member of the West Yorkshire Organic Group, he has been giving talks to promote organic growing for nearly 30 years.

He is well known for turning up to events with bags of his own tomatoes - and sometimes soup produced by his wife, Jennifer - for the audience to taste, as the best way to convince them of the advantages of chemical-free horticulture.

Tickets for the Courthouse talk cost £8 or £7 in advance, or £9 or £8 on the door.

They can be booked by visiting www.otleycourthouse.org.uk, calling (01943) 467466, or popping in to the venue.