Tomatoes to Taste and Plants to Fill Your Garden
By Tami Reece UCCE Master Gardener
This year will be San Luis Obispo's UCCE Master Gardeners' 10th Annual Tomato Extravaganza and Plant Sale. What started out ten years ago as a simple presentation and a tasting of a few tomato and basil varieties has turned into a half day of workshops, educational booths, and a tasting of several different heirloom tomatoes and basil.
At our first few events, we did not even have a garden. Then, in 2008 we broke ground on the Garden of the Seven Sisters and have since created a unique landscape filled with over 18 educational themed plots including a Kitchen Garden, Lawn Alternatives, Succulents and Cactus, Fire Safe Landscape, Providing Wildlife Habitat, Curb Appeal, Fruit Orchard, Rain Barrel display, and Rain Garden. On Saturday, August 20, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, our garden will be open for you to explore.
This year's Tomato Extravaganza will feature booths and activities throughout. In the garden, we will have three free workshops - Gophers, Ground Squirrels, Voles and Moles at 10:30; Start, Grow, and Harvest the Best Tomatoes Ever at 11:30, and Preserving Tomatoes; Enjoy your Garden All Year at 12:30. Booths for kids include an insect display and making tomato heads. For adults, the Master Gardener Helpline team will be available to answer questions and at another booth we will be have books, gardening journals specific to San Luis Obispo County, and native bee and birdhouses for sale. Some of our other informational booths will be hosted by UCCE Master Food Preservers, UC CalFresh, and California Rare Fruit Growers. The landscape and edible plant sale will include herbs, basil, fall vegetables, and drought tolerant or low water landscape plants. In the auditorium, you can taste several varieties of heirloom tomatoes and basil varieties such as cinnamon and lime. While you're there, sample our basil lemonade, a crowd favorite, and tomatoes will be available for purchase.
The weather will be sunny and warm so bring a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water to stay hydrated. We look forward to spending the day with you in the garden!