Harvest Fest at the Best

If you’re a home gardener who grows tomatoes that have great personality (that is, they might not be the most beautiful), Fairview Gardens has an event for you. As part of their free Harvest Festival on Sunday, August 22, noon-5 p.m. at the farm (598 N. Fairview Ave., Goleta, 967-7369, fairviewgardens.org), they’re holding a tomato contest, and while there are prizes for both Best in Show and Looks, there’s also one for Character. You just know that Green Zebra’s jaunty if irregular stripes will wow the judges, don’t you? That contest is a mere part of the fun, as there will also be tours of this urban agriculture wonder, live music (by the all aptly named Glendessary Jam, Spencer the Gardener, and Honeysuckle Possums), a garden exchange (now, don’t everyone bring zucchini, but get ready to trade everything from produce to seeds), and the chance to bring your own picnic and drinks and eat on some fabulous Good Land farm land.