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Press Release

Annual Tomato Spectacular Plant Sale to Be Held April 20 at Cal Poly

Scores of tomato plants in gallon-size plastic containers line growing planks in a Cal Poly greenhouse

Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu

More than 5,000 tomato plants grown from seeds will be on sale for $6 each to provide home gardeners with quality plants that will produce fresh tomatoes throughout the summer

SAN LUIS OBISPO — More than 100 different types of tomato plants will be available at Cal Poly’s annual Tomato Spectacular plant sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 20 at the Horticulture Unit near the Poly Plant Shop. This one-day event will be accompanied by live music on the lawn at the unit’s entrance while customers wait.

Brandywine, 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 event, one of several hands-on opportunities offered by Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. A catalogue of available varieties will be made available on April 1 at polyplantshop.com.

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.

The plants cost $6 each and are available on a first-come 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. Customer inquiries can be sent here: polyplantshop.com/contact-us.

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 (cafes.calpoly.edu) is composed 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.