The Great Tomato Plant Sale, April 11 & April 12; April 15 & 22; Let the Growing Season Begin!
Our Garden’s annual spring Great Tomato Plant Sale kicks off the summer growing season, offering eager gardeners a wide variety of organic tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, leafy greens, herbs, and bushels of other young vegetable plants.
Located at the southwest corner of Shadelands Drive and N. Wiget Lane you’ll find a gem of a garden: Our Garden, a three-quarter-acre public demonstration garden built and maintained by Master Gardener volunteers, graduates of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County.
Master Gardeners are local residents who have trained through the University of California Cooperative Extension and now share their knowledge and enthusiasm for gardening with community members. Their focus is to educate home, community, and school gardeners in sustainable, environmentally friendly gardening practices, and to help gardeners succeed in their planting, nurturing, and harvesting efforts.
(l) Master Gardener Janet Miller, Our Garden manager, and (r) Master Gardener Mary Jo Corby, plant sales coordinator, greet visitors at the entrance to Our Garden’s Great Tomato Plant Sale. [Photo credit Chris Tanaka].
Kicking off the summer growing season is Our Garden’s Great Tomato Plant Sale, held over the course of four days in April: Saturday, April 11 & Sunday, April 12, from 10am to 3pm; and Wednesday, April 15 & Wednesday, April 22, from 9:30am to 2pm.
Home gardeners do not want to miss this hugely popular annual spring fundraiser.
Open to the public, Our Garden’s Great Tomato Plant Sale offers more than 25,000 vegetables — 178 varieties of plants — for sale to home gardeners.
“Every year we bring in old favorites, but we also offer new varieties for gardeners who are looking for something different – who are looking to be adventurous,” said Master Gardener Janet Miller, Our Garden manager.
“This year we’ll have 178 different varieties of plants for sale. We’re excited to offer many new ones, for example, a cherry tomato called ‘Chocolate Pear’; a paste tomato called ‘Blue Beech’; and a slicer tomato popular in the South called ‘Jolene’.”
At The Great Tomato Plant Sale, gardeners will find 12,500 tomato plants in 72 varieties, including 45 varieties of beefsteak and slicers, 21 varieties of cherry tomatoes, and six varieties of paste tomatoes.
Gardeners will find 5,000 peppers for sale, including 20 varieties of sweet peppers and 20 varieties of hot peppers.
Artichokes, okra, tomatillos, and eggplants are part of the 7,500 “other vegetables” available at The Great Tomato Plant Sale.
In addition to tomatoes, gardeners will find peppers, artichokes, eggplants, cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash, zucchini, pumpkin, all kinds of leafy greens, herbs, and much, much more – more than 25,000 plants for sale. All plants are $4, and can be purchased with cash, check, Visa, and Mastercard. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own boxes or containers to carry their new plants home.
Several new varieties of tomatoes, as well as trusted favorites, will be available at The Great Tomato Plant Sale, including dwarf plants that are ideal for gardeners with limited space.
By the numbers: 12,500 tomato plants for sale in 72 varieties, including 45 varieties of beefsteak and slicers, 21 varieties of cherry tomatoes, and six varieties of paste tomatoes; 5,000 peppers for sale in 40 varieties, including 20 varieties of sweet peppers and 20 varieties of hot peppers; 7,500 other vegetables for sale including carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplants, leafy greens, onions, raddishes, squash, and much, much more; and three varieties of herbs, including basil, cilantro, and parsley.
Gardeners will find a wide variety of leafy greens ready for planting in their home gardens.
The annual Great Tomato Plant Sale is UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County’s biggest fundraiser of the year, funding the organization’s gardening and educational projects and programs throughout the county.
Herbs for sale include basil, cilantro, and oregano.
Before lining up the day of the sale, shoppers are encouraged to check the website for information about the inventory and a printable shopping list.
“Every single variety of everything we’re growing and selling is listed on our website,” said Master Gardener Mary Jo Corby, plant sales coordinator. “Print your shopping list and check off what you want. At the sale, all plants are laid out alphabetically by category. Using a shopping list will help you find your plants along the shelves much more easily.”
Lines form early for Our Garden’s Great Tomato Plant Sale in April. Enthusiastic gardeners bring their own boxes and baskets and swap stories with fellow gardeners, while looking forward to taking their purchases home to their own gardens.
Over the years, the Great Tomato Plant Sale has become a social gathering place for avid gardeners who arrive early to be some of the first in line, comparing shopping lists and growing advice.
“There are some people who are adamant about specific plant varieties and they get here early to get exactly what they’re looking for,” said Mary Jo. “But, if you’re not married to a specific variety of tomato or pepper or other vegetable, be assured that we have thousands of plants and scores of varieties, so there are plenty of plants available to all shoppers throughout the four days of the sale. Some people avoid the rush and come later in the morning or afternoon on Saturday, or Sunday when the crowds have died down. You’ll still find a great number of varieties of vegetables for your home garden.”
More than 25,000 plants will be available over the four-day Great Tomato Plant Sale, featuring tomatoes and other garden vegetables and herbs.
There is plenty of parking in the adjacent Shadelands Art Center parking lot, with attendants directing drivers. And, on the weekend of April 11 & 12, one area of the parking lot will be set up for mobility accessible (ADA) shopping with every variety of plant that’s in the garden laid out and available on display tables that can be traversed with a walker, cane, or wheelchair.
For plant and planting information, Master Gardeners in green aprons will be on hand assisting in sales and at the Ask A Master Gardener help desk, along with printed handouts to take home.
The annual Great Tomato Plant Sale is UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County’s biggest fundraiser of the year, funding the organization’s gardening and educational projects and programs throughout the county.
Master Gardeners support 50 school gardens and 20 community gardens with their presence, seedlings, and resources; sponsor information tables at farmers’ markets; and present educational materials and talks on sustainable gardening at libraries, schools, and other public venues throughout Contra Costa County.
Our Garden was featured in the May 2025 issue of The Shadelands Scene, which you can read here.
“We’re all volunteers,” said Mary Jo. “And as volunteers, for the amount of time and work we commit, you have to have a passion about gardening. And that’s one thing we have in abundance: passion for this work in the garden and for sharing the joy of gardening with others. We’re an energized group because this is what we love.”
The organization’s website is a wealth of information about the annual sale, the available inventory, and how to plant and tend to young vegetables and herbs once you get them home. Visit UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County and Our Garden for links to scores of articles, tips, and techniques for building and managing your sustainable, edible gardens. Happy planting!
UC Master Gardener volunteers build and harvest bountiful organic gardens in Shadelands year round. [Photo credit Greg Letts]
Our Garden | UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
SW corner of Shadelands Drive & N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek
Open to the public Wednesdays | 9am–Noon | April–October
Ask a Master Gardener Help Line: 925.608.6683.
