CAL POLY - The Cal Poly Organic Farm is offering an expanded season for its annual Community Supported Agriculture Program, which provides fresh, organically grown fruits, vegetables and herbs to subscribers each week.

Now in its fifth year, the program is expanding to 26 from 22 weeks, running May 3 to Oct. 28, with an optional fall extension available for subscribers who want fresh produce through the holiday season.

Each box, picked up at the Cal Poly Organic Farm or delivered, is designed to supply a family of two to five members for a week, according to Cal Poly Horticulture and Crop Science professor John Phillips, adviser to the program.

Spring crops include strawberries, salad mix, carrots, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, arugula, escarole, chard, beets and radishes. The summer and fall crops include several varieties of tomatoes, watermelon, melons, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, celery, corn, potatoes, onions, leeks and garlic, and herbs including rosemary, cilantro and oregano.

In addition to fresh organic produce, subscribers receive a weekly newsletter with seasonal recipes, produce tips, and invitations to arts and crafts workshops, activities, barbecues and educational workshops at the Cal Poly Organic Farm.

For the first time this year, Cal Poly is partnering with a North County organic farm, Four Elements Organics, to add more warm-season crops to the weekly offerings.

Ryan Rich, the owner of Four Elements, currently has garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, but will soon be contributing melons, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant from his 5-acre farm. Those crops fare well in the warm climate at his 47-acre property, which is off Highway 41 between Morro Bay and Atascadero.

"I'm going to focus on new crops that they can't get," Rich said of his collaboration with Cal Poly.

He will also help with marketing and distribution in the North County so the program can have a wider reach.

Rich, who moved to the area three years ago because he couldn't afford to buy property in his previous location in Marin County, expects the collaboration with Cal Poly to earn him about $10,000 a year, or a quarter of his annual revenues. He also sells to nearby restaurants and grocery stores and is trying to set up at local farmers' markets.

Rich and others involved with the program hope the program's subscriber base and range of offerings expands.

"This really is a great program for families or friends who like to cook with the freshest fruit and produce, and people who want heirloom varieties not available in stores," Phillips said. "Depending on customer demand, we're also looking at offering organic eggs and expanding our orchards."