There’s nothing quite like an afternoon at a baseball game; hot dogs, beer, and Caribbean Scotch Bonnet peppers? Don’t laugh, because that scrumptious condiment you taste at Petco Park might have actually taken root at the ballpark in the most unlikely of places—the bullpen. That’s where Padres head groundskeeper Luke Yoder’s garden flourishes, complete with cilantro, tomatoes, strawberries, artichokes, and various peppers. “We’re in San Diego, it’s a garden city… why not have a garden at the ballpark?” Yoder says. He started a garden last season and it was a hit with players and Petco Park executive chef, Will Todd, who has used some of Yoder’s peppers for condiments and sauces. The garden was displaced over the winter during fence modifications, but Yoder’s expecting a bountiful batch of goodies this summer. Everything is organic. “It’s a lot of fun,” Yoder says. “It’s my hobby. It’s nice for me to step away during batting practice and putter away in the garden.”
Luke Yoder
