With the hundreds of tomato varieties available, it can be a Herculean task to choose the best ones for a specific growing situation. Add to that the fact that some long-time gardens may need an overhaul to encourage soil fertility, and the task of growing tomatoes can be daunting.

California State University, Northridge’s CSUN-al Gardening Series lecture, “Tomatoes 101,” scheduled to take place from 9 to 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, will offer lessons in how to revitalize a tomato garden and grow the best tomato varieties for a productive season.

Garden designer Stephen Baldonado, a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, will explain the process of reinvigorating and preparing a garden’s soil to grow a bountiful tomato crop. He will also offer advice on how to select the best plants for a particular garden.

“Tomatoes are a favorite for the home gardener, especially with the many types that grow well in Southern California,” said Brenda Kanno, manager of CSUN’s Botanic Garden, which hosts the CSUN-al Gardening Series. “Preparing your garden soil is a key step in getting a bountiful harvest from your tomato plants.”

Baldonado has extensive experience as a seasoned gardener. He has headed his own garden design business, I Garden, for the past five years. Prior to that, he worked at New York’s Central Park and the New York Botanical Garden. He offers a full-schedule of presentations at local garden events and has assisted Scott Daigre with Tomatomania, the area’s largest heirloom tomato seedling sale, for the past six seasons.

Registration for the free class is required. Email botanicgarden@csun.edu to request a space in the class or for more information. Driving and parking instructions, as well as the class meeting location, will be sent upon registration.

CSUN’s Botanic Garden is operated by the university’s Department of Biology and serves as a field site for botany, entomology, photography, painting and other classes. In addition to outdoor landscapes and natural botanic environments, the garden also features greenhouses where noteworthy botanical specimens are grown. The garden is open to the community.

Visit the website www.csun.edu/botanicgarden/ for more information about the Botanic Garden.

Botanic Garden, College of Science and Mathematics, CSUN-al Gardening, Department of Biology, Gardening, Tomatoes