Annual Tomato Spectacular Plant Sale to Be Held Two Consecutive Weekends in April at Cal Poly
SAN LUIS OBISPO — More than 75 different types of tomato plants will be available at Cal Poly’s annual Tomato Spectacular plant sale from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 1-2 and April 15-16, at the Horticulture Unit near the Poly Plant Shop.
Brandywine, Early Girl, Kellogg’s Breakfast, Vintage Wine, and a selection of cherry tomato plants, including Nature’s Bites, are some of the unique cultivars that will be available during the student-run enterprise project, one of several such hands-on courses offered by the university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
This year, the program is directed by a team of five students who have grown more than 3,000 tomato plants from seed to provide home gardeners with quality plants that will produce fresh tomatoes throughout summer. Students began seeding the plants in early February and have tended to them in the campus greenhouses.
“Being a part of the Tomato Spectacular student-run enterprise has enabled me to gain first-hand experience with growing a crop commercially for sale in a production setting,” said Ryan Schrader, a fourth-year agricultural and environmental plant sciences major. “Everything from cleaning pots to how to set up the sale has been done by our fantastic team of five hardworking students. I’m so excited to share with everyone the tomato fruits of our labor these past few months.”
The plants cost $8 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis — with no holds or reservations made in advance. Customers are encouraged to bring boxes and/or wagons to transport plants to their vehicles.
The sale will take place at the Environmental Horticultural Sciences Building (No. 48) on Via Carta Road off Highland Drive. Parking will be provided for free in lot H14. For more information, follow Cal Poly Tomato Spectacular on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CalPolyTomatoSpectacular and Instagram at www.instagram.com/calpolytomatospectacular.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
Photo information: Ryan Schrader, a fourth-year agricultural and environmental plant sciences major, tending plants in the campus greenhouse. He is one of five students involved in the Tomato Spectacular student enterprise.