For a group of Santa Maria high school students, it's never too early to start thinking about pumpkin season.
Students involved with the "Patch Santa Maria," a free agricultural education program, are preparing more than 10,000 pumpkin seed transplants.
They partnered with Plantel Nurseries, a vegetable transplant nursery, where they got hands-on experience.
The program coordinator said more than 300 high school students participate in the Patch each year.
"We feel that the community is lacking opportunities for high school students to participate in agricultural activities outside of the school setting, so we provided programs for these students as an extracurricular activity outside of the campus," said Corina Posada, the Patch program coordinator.
The Patch students will offer free vegetable transplants to families through multiple drive-thru locations in Santa Maria and Orcutt on Saturday, June 6th.
The Patch expects to return this fall to Los Flores Ranch Park.
