Tomato Mania to Hit Cal Poly on April 10 and 11

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cherokee Purple, First Light Hybrid, Golden Nugget and Red Zebra are just a few of the dozens of varieties of tomatoes that will be on sale April 10 and 11 at Poly Plant Shop as part of the annual Cal Poly Tomato Mania.

Poly Plant Shop has hundreds of plants for Tomato Mania, specially grown by Cal Poly environmental horticulture science students to bring out each tomato’s natural flavor.

More than 60 varieties in all will be available. Among them will be the Murray Smith, a large, red variety available only at Cal Poly and the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. The Murray Smith was developed by Howard Brown, a longtime Cal Poly horticulture professor and former dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Brown named the variety for his friend, a longtime Cal Poly professor of speech and theater.

Tomato plant sales will continue through April while supplies last.

The plant shop is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and is located on Via Carta, across from the horse unit, on the Cal Poly campus.

For more information, including a catalog of the tomatoes available, visit www.polyplantshop.com. Or call Poly Plant Shop at 805-756-1106.

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