1000 Tomato Garden

Thanks to a generous donation of 1000 tomato seedlings from Plug Connection, guidance from Marine Veteran and Hydroponics Expert Tony Lattner, support from the UCLA Department of Medicine, and the help of more than 30 volunteers, this summer we planted our inaugural 1000 Tomato Plant Hydroponic Garden.

Veterans had asked for more tomatoes at the Monday and Wednesday food distributions on campus. However, tomatoes are difficult for the food distribution provider to transport and store. This inspired our Veteran Gardeners to find a solution that responded to the requests of their fellow Veterans. So far, the 1000 Tomato Plant Hydroponic Garden has produced several hundred pounds of fresh, organic tomatoes that are hand delivered to the Wednesday food distribution for Veterans.

We are grateful to Avery Crawford and Samuel Martinez with UCLA’s Department of Medicine for documenting our planting day: https://x.com/DOM_UCLA/status/1801763696659861930

And we are grateful to CBS Los Angeles, Fox 11 Los Angeles, and Los Angeles Daily News for their coverage of the tomato harvest: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/a-veterans-garden-on-the-west-la-va-campus-heals-souls-veterans-voices/; https://www.foxla.com/video/1521971; and https://www.dailynews.com/2024/09/25/a-quiet-garden-in-west-los-angeles-can-grow-produce-for-1200-veterans/