Cal Poly's Tomato Spectacular takes place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Horticulture Unit near the Poly Plant Shop.
This one-day event will feature the sale of mostly tomato plants, accompanied by the sale of strawberries as well as Cal Poly-made honey and jam. There will be floral arrangements created by students up for sale as well.
Brandywine, Kellogg's Breakfast, Vintage Wine, and a selection of cherry tomato plants, including Nature's Bites, are some of the unique choices available during the student-run event
This year the program is directed by a team of five students who have grown more than 5,000 tomato plants from seeds to provide home gardeners with quality plants that will produce fresh tomatoes throughout the summer. Students sow the seeds and grow the plants in campus greenhouses.
"It's really satisfying when you first put them out. You see all the empty pots with the tags and the seedlings and then you come back two weeks later and just see like a sea of green and you know you've made it," said Matthew Martin, Cal Poly student assistant.
The plants cost $6 each and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with no holds or reservations. Customers are encouraged to bring boxes or wagons to transport plants to their vehicles.
A catalog of available varieties can be found here.
