With over 8,000 tomato plants ready to be taken home and planted, this year marks the fifteenth anniversary that the Horticulture Department will be hosting a tomato plant sale.

They are excited to see how this year’s sales will turn out. They made a profit of about $17 thousand in last year’s sale. They are expecting to sell even more this year.

Due to the rise of people attending this event, the department decided it was time to move the sale into the nursery. Prior to this year, they would normally set up in the parking lot.

This event began with a nursery in Pasadena asking Fullerton College if the Horticulture Department was willing to grow 2,000 tomatoes for a sale they were having. From then on, the department fell in love with the aspect of growing these red beauties and decided to start their own sale.

The profits went to the five interns who grew these tomatoes while the rest of the funds helped the Horticulture Department maintain the nursery for next season’s sale.

“We really are proud of our volunteers and interns,” said Diane Komos, laboratory technician. “They definitely have worked hard and are very happy to see the outcome of their hard work.”

According to Komos, the department’s hiring process for interns is quite rigorous. Both the interns and volunteers take part in growing the tomatoes.

“Many families come together, people from different ages come, and it’s fascinating to see a three-year-old wanting to grow while on the other side there is an 80-year-old man doing the same thing,” Komos said.

There are nine categories of tomatoes for sale so there is something for everyone, some for the beginner to start their tomato growing experience and some for the expert.

The event will be held Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. through Sunday, March 9. For more information go to www.horticulture.fullcoll.edu.