HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - It's shaping up to be a banner year for tomatoes in Huntsville.

During the city's annual "Great American Cleanup and Beautification Day" event Friday, officials will give away 6,000 Big Boy and Better Boy tomato plants to encourage healthier eating.

The city's Operation Green Team will also hand out several thousand free boxes of Glad trash bags as part of the Keep America Beautiful neighborhood cleanup program. Friday's event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the plaza outside Huntsville City Hall, 308 Fountain Circle. Come early for free grilled hot dogs and popcorn.

City Landscape Management Director Joy McKee said the Butler Terrace and L.R. Patton public housing developments, Holiday Homes and Merrimack Mill Village in southwest Huntsville are planning cleanup events this weekend.

Follow me on Twitter: @swdoyle