The Tomato Kid is back.
“Dear Tomato Enthusiasts,
It is with great pleasure that I am writing you to inform you that I will be reviving my tomato business, and you can expect a new menu for our 2024 season within the next 3 weeks,” wrote Gasperik to his longtime customers in March.
We first wrote about Alex Gasperik in 2012 when he started selling heirloom tomato seedlings he’d grown from seed in his backyard on Mullen Ave.
“My dad and I always loved growing tomatoes,” 10-year-old Alexander told the Buzz at the time.
We visited with him again in 2018 when he was a high school senior balancing out the demands of high school with his growing tomato business. That year he was offering a crop of about 400 carefully grown heirloom tomatoes in his Mullen Avenue backyard operation.
When we got his email in March, we had to check in to see his operation and pick up so tomatoes! Gasperik said he took a break from school and worked for the California Conservation Corps for the past year.
“It was a great experience, I highly recommend it for anyone who’s not quite sure what they want to do,” said Gaperik who said he spent the year rebuilding trails and working outdoors.
Now he’s back in LA, attending Santa Monica College and pursuing a degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in photography. He told us he decided to restart the tomato business with a smaller crop and see how it goes. He has 20 varieties grown from seeds he’s collected as well as some he has sourced from Tomatomania.
Ideally, tomatoes should be planted by now, but fortunately, for us, Gasperik still has a number of seedlings available. He selected seven seedlings for us based on our gardening requirements. If you haven’t planted yours yet, click here to check out the varieties available and email him at [email protected].
