May 14, 2024 – Love Apple Farms is the tomato plant nursery in Scotts Valley that gardeners have grown to adore. We come from all over, making an annual pilgrimage at least once during spring for the largest variety of heirloom tomato plants in the Bay Area. At Love Apple Farms, tomato plants come in every shape, size and color, for every microclimate. There are meaty, heart-shaped oxheart types like German Strawberry, Orange Russian, and Love Apple’s own Sexy Beast. There are the sumptuous, psychedelic beefstakes like Berkeley Tie-dye, Hippie Zebra, Hawaiian Pineapple and Black Beauty. There are straight-up yellow, orange, purple, and brown heirlooms.
It’s not all edgy; they also have traditional mainstays like San Marzano, Plum Regal, Mortgage Lifter, Sungold and Sweet Million. They also offer peppers, eggplants, and other vegetable starts as well as a full line of herbs.
But now founder and owner Sandberg is retiring and handing leadership of the business over to her son Zachary Geske—who went to Georgiana Bruce Kirby High School in Santa Cruz and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. Geske grew up working on the farm and helping run the family business for more than 15 years. Like his mother, he got his gardening chops at Cabrillo College’s Horticulture Department, plus on-the-farm experience growing more than 300 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers for Manresa Restaurant for 11 years. He has interacted with thousands of plant sale customers over the years and loves it.
He enthuses about continuing to provide top quality plants and gardening advice at the nursery. He will also bring a younger image to the business and plans to expand Love Apple’s social media presence. Geske will teach classes online on YouTube, as well as onsite.
Perhaps the most exciting thing, for home tomato growers, is that Geske is creating a specialty tomato cage that he plans to market nationwide. It will be a “proper” tomato cage that actually holds up an eight-foot-tall tomato plant. (Prototypes are not available to share yet.) Love Apple is also working on a line of nursery products, including their specialty tomato fertilizer that is used for their famous planting hole ingredients.
Sandberg says while she loves the climate in Santa Cruz, the political winds seem to be calling her abroad. “I hope to escape the draconian politicos that seem to be having a stranglehold on our legal system. Trump created a right-wing Supreme Court that will not change within my lifetime. But my main focus on leaving is to pursue my lifelong dream of travel. Can’t keep a girl down on the farm once she’s seen Pareeee….”
Relieved of her commitments for now, she says, “I’ll be traveling the world with my German shepherd Ruby. Just us two gals. Nomads. Everywhere! The only reason I’ll be back in Santa Cruz will be to help my son next spring.”
No, Sandberg won’t be living the millennial lifestyle of an Instagram influencer in a #vanlife Sprinter van. “I’ll be moving around the world, staying one month at a time in short-term rentals,” she says. “Maybe YouTubing my life. We’ll see.” Keep in touch, Cynthia! We’ll love hearing about your travels.
About the author
Jillian Steinberger-Foster is a regenerative landscape gardener and designer. She is co-owner of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping with her husband, contractor Ken Foster. They have a thriving homestead on the Westside of Santa Cruz and three active rescue dogs.
