About the Author

Melanie Grabner

Melanie Grabner is a master perennial gardener, author, and plant enthusiast. After many years of practical experience, she has been cultivating over 600 different rare vegetable varieties since 2000, primarily tomatoes and other fruiting vegetables. Her project lilatomate (www.lilatomate.de) grew out of an initial passion for collecting exotic tomatoes, and since 2010, the annual "Gartenschätze" (Garden Treasures) exhibition (www.gartenschaetze.org) has been held. Although she has had ample space with a 600 sqm kitchen garden since 2006, she grows about 50 different vegetable varieties—from lettuce, beans, chili, and cucumbers to bell peppers and tomatoes—in pots to share practical recommendations with plant enthusiasts who don't have their own garden.