For years, fresh tomatoes, either bought from local farmers or grown on the grounds of Perry Wellness Center, have been the prime vegetable sold at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market. While our market is temporarily closed during these colder months, we are making lots of preparations for our March 1 re-opening. This year, we plan to grow tomatoes again, and we’ve already stocked up on new tomato stakes. The rubber-dipped stakes promise to be a good investment.

PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry explains, “We have found that these heavier wire stakes last longer and are better for our tomato plants. With the rubberized coatings, the stakes do not get too hot and we can use them for several years.”

So visitors can be forewarned that the campus will be even more colorful than usual this spring. For now the large shipment of 36” tomato stakes is stored at the rear of the PWC kitchen, like some colorful art installation.