Fairfield , Oct. 1, 2024: When you think about professional tennis, you likely imagine fast paced action, incredible serves, volleys, backhands, forehands and dropshots.
But for organizers of the Taube/Kennedy-Grossman Solano Challenger at Solano Community College, images of green houses, raised planting beds, composting and horticulture also come to mind.
That may not seem logical at first glance, but the college horticulture program and the tournament – which runs Oct. 6-13 – have a very symbiotic relationship.
The ATP men’s professional tennis tournament has been played at the college for several years and one of the aesthetic aspects of the event each year are the colorful plants that surround the main court and entry areas to the college tennis facility on campus.
The story behind those plants is a tale of collaboration between tournament organizers, the college horticulture program and a large commercial nursery in Winters.
Years ago, the plants were a donation to the event and the horticulture program was approached to see what it might be able to supply.
Sandra Diehl, the professor who heads up the horticulture program, noted that the campus’ 5 acres of growing space couldn’t supply that need so organizers turned to commercial nursery Everde Growers (formerly Hines) in Winters.
Located on a little over 1,200 acres, Everde Growers’ Winters farm produces flowering shrubs, broadleaf shrubs, fruit trees, citrus, and so much more thanks to the Sacramento Valley’s hot summers and wet winters. And its plants were a big hit with the tournament. However, what to do with the plants afterward was an issue, as giving them all away proved challenging.
Enter the horticulture program again. The program holds biannual plant sales each year (at the end of each semester) and so the tournament started donating the leftover plants to be included in the sale. “The varieties they were using were not usually the kinds of plants we would sell,” explained Diehl. “I try to teach our students about drought tolerant plants that do well in our climate and also pollinator friendly plants. But I would take their plants anyway because the biannual sales are the butter on our bread in Horticulture. The funds from the sales are circled right back into the program for materials and supplies – and we always need more materials and supplies.”
Then a couple of years ago, Rafael “Raf” Rovira, head tennis coach at the college and director of operations for the tournament approached Diehl about being even more involved – by choosing the plants that would be used during the tournament and sold afterward.
“I volunteered eagerly,” recalls Diehl.
Rovira says the collaboration has been a great success.
“Getting Sandra connected with the tournament has really been a win-win situation,” he said. “Her knowledge is incredible and she is able to pick plants that are both beautiful and perfect for the plant sales afterward.”
This year, her selections include some bottle brush, breath of heaven, mandinas and even a couple of fruit trees (no fruit on them yet, of course) that Diehl plans to plant in the school’s orchard to replace a few dead trees after the tournament. The horticulture program hopes to establish a farmers’ market stand in the future to supplement the income from its plant sales.
This fall’s plant sale will actually be held toward the end of the tournament on Oct. 9 and 10. For more information visit https://welcome.solano.edu/event/horticultures-fall-plant-sale/
For more information on the tennis tournament, visit https://www.solanochallenger.com/
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