Tomato Man bringing famed heirloom plant sale to Highland Park

Bob Zeni, aka the Chicago Tomato Man, is coming to Highland Park. Zeni’s annual sale, which has officially started, will match gardening fanatics with more than 16,000 heirloom tomato seedlings.

“At least one person — most often my wife — tells me I’m nuts to do this every year,” Zeni admitted with a chuckle. “We started out 12 years ago selling just a few dozen plants in my driveway. I never envisioned this. It’s truly crazy. We’re gearing up to sell 16,000 plants before the summer growing season hits.”

Originally just a hobby, Zeni’s sale began after he became disgusted with the quality of tomato plants sold at hardware stores. At first, he grew a few heirloom seedlings in the basement of his LaGrange Park home for family and friends. Then, neighbors began asking for a few, and it spiraled from there.

“Last year, we sold out; 13,000 heirloom tomato plants in all,” he said. “Clearly, others are looking for an alternative to big-box stores that all sell the same ordinary … often tasteless … varieties of tomato plants,” Zeni said. “And, don’t even get me started on the tasteless travesties they call tomatoes in the grocery store. Please, I beg you, grow your own heirlooms at home.”

New for 2026 is a Chicago Tomato Man stop in Highland Park. Zeni will take questions, offer tips, and deliver plants ordered online from 10-11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, at Madame Zuzu’s Emporium, 1876 1st St., Highland Park.

This year, Zeni and his team (wife Wendy, daughter Rebecca and a handful of others) are starting 187 varieties: classic heirlooms like Amana Orange, Black Cherry and Brandywine as well as fun, exotic ones like Atomic Grape, Metallica and Kookaburra Cackle. By late April, the plants will be in their prime, averaging between 6 to 8 inches tall (depending on the variety). Along with full-size plants, Zeni also sells 18 varieties of “tabletop” plants that only reach 14 inches tall when fully grown. They’re perfect for city balconies.

Also, new for 2026 are 29 varieties, including Adora, Bunny Hop, Burgermeister, Cinnamon Girl, Dancing with Smurfs, Gandalf, and Melon Liqueur. Plants cost between $6-$16 depending on seed costs, rarity of the variety, and difficulty of getting the plants started from seeds.

“Additionally, we don’t use herbicides, pesticides, or any chemical growth treatments. Just a lot of tender loving care,” Zeni said.

“With this crazy extreme-cold, then warm, then cold-again winter and spring, now’s the perfect time for all of us to start dreaming about summer nights in the garden and delicious BLTs for dinner,” Zeni said.

In the early years, folks drove from all over the city, Indiana and Wisconsin to shop Zeni’s one-day, front-yard sale in LaGrange Park. After COVID-19 hit, Zeni began taking preorders via chicagotomatoman.com and running pop-ups for pickup. Now, there are 42 pop-ups at 24 locations where buyers can grab their plants. New for 2026 are the addition of eight new pop-up distribution locations, including Avondale, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, Logan Square, Woodlawn, Geneva and Glen Ellyn, and the stop at Madame Zuzu’s from 10-11:30 a.m. on April 26. For a list of all locations, dates, and times, visit chicagotomatoman.com/popup-locations.

Along with selling his plants, Zeni will also donate more than 1,800 heirloom plants this year to churches, charities, community organizations, and schools. Last year, Zeni donated 1,600 heirloom plants to 32 deserving organizations, including Albany Park Community Garden, Chicago Grows Food, Chicago Patchwork Farms, Chicago FarmWorks, Eckhart Park Advisory Council, Global Gardens Chicago, One Family Illinois, Roof Crop Foundation, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Three Brothers Garden, We Sow We Grow, Windy City Harvest and even a gardening program at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.

“To see the joy in people’s faces, especially children, when we deliver the donated plans is why I do this every year,” the 74-year-old Zeni reflected. “It is important for all of us to help teach others, especially future generations, how to grow and enjoy eating healthy food.”

This growing season, Zeni will talk heirlooms at a free events at Pints, Plants & Pups, May 23 at Off Color Brewing, 1460 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago, which will have dogs from One Tail At A Time rescue available for adoption. A portion of Zeni’s plant sales from the day will benefit the organization.

One of the questions Zeni receives most is “What fertilizer should I use?” Bob’s answer is simple: “I recommend using worm castings, aka worm poop. That’s right, worm castings mixed into your topsoil or potting soil are what your plants really crave.”

Worms, as one of nature’s ultimate cleanup crews, have the unique ability to take waste, ingest it, remove harmful bacteria and other pathogens while adding good bacteria and a host of other healthy stuff, and add it into the soil via their excrement, Zeni explained.

“Think of worm castings as all-natural jet fuel for growing tomato plants.”

To make life easier for busy gardeners, Zeni has teamed with the Northern Illinois Worm Farm to offer castings in 2 pound ($4) canisters and 5 pound ($10) bags.

“When you plant and once a month after, simply mix a handful or so into your soil for a five-gallon pot or a few handfuls for a 4-foot-by-8-foot raised bed, and you’ll be amazed at how happy your plants will be,” Zeni said. For more tips and tricks on watering and so much more, visit chicagotomatoman.com.

Zeni summed up 12 years of this annual craziness in a single sentence: ‘For me, it all comes back to the fact that all of us — no matter our background, hometown or ZIP code — deserve the opportunity to experience the wonderful flavor of a fresh, vine-ripened, heirloom tomato.”