It started with just a few plants and a hobby for Bob Zeni, a La Grange Park man dubbed “the tomato man” by neighbors.
Zeni, who works from home as a graphic designer, wanted something to do for fun and started growing a few plants in his basement.
“I started with a few and now have around 2,500 plants, primarily tomatoes. I grow 60 varieties but there are at least 1,000 types of tomatoes,” said Zeni, who is preparing his annual sale where he sells and gives advice on how to take care of the plants.
Zeni can also tell people which tomatoes are good for salads, which are less acidic and even describe the different flavors.
“People who are foodies want certain tomatoes for their recipes. A lot of people want Beefsteak tomatoes for the flavor,” Zeni said. “The darker tomatoes like Black Ethiopian or Black Cherry have a stronger, salty flavor and the yellow tomatoes have a tangy citrus flavor.”
Zeni starts his plants from seeds he either orders or gets from seed groups and plants them in his basement plant lab.
“I start the day after the Super Bowl and they are usually ready to go into the greenhouse by mid-March,” he said.
Some years, like the recently cold and snowy spring, require Zeni to be vigilant about keeping the greenhouse warm and he said he had to brush snow from the roof so the greenhouse wouldn’t collapse. On average, Zeni spends about four hours a day taking care of the plants.
He feels it is important for people to taste real from the ground tomatoes.
“When you get most supermarket tomatoes they taste flavorless. They are hybrids and are modified to be bug resistant and to have a perfect shape,” he said. “People come back every year so they can taste what a real tomato is supposed to taste like. I am really selling memories.”
Zeni also said he donates a few hundred plants each year to an organization called Gardineers, that cultivates gardens in Chicago schools to teach children about healthy living.
“I think it is important to teach children how to grow healthy food. Some of the schools are in food desert neighborhoods and Gardineers teaches them how to grow and care for their own food,” said Zeni.
Zeni said some of his regular customers are people in there 70s and 80s who want tomatoes like their relatives grew on farms.
“Two years ago a woman wanted a certain tomato called Prudence Purple that she remembered her grandfather growing, I was able to get the plant for her. It is endearing and gratifying to hear these stories,” he said.
Occasionally, he tries out a flavor that fails.
“I tried a tomato called Delicious and for some reason nobody wanted it,” he said.
Zeni said the love of tomatoes runs in his family and both his wife and daughter are gourmet cooks who enjoy creating recipes with his tomatoes.
Some of his advice on growing good tomatoes is to use good soil, keep the plants in the sunniest spot of the yard and to not let the soil dry out.
Zeni’s plant sale, which will also include a few other plants such as bok choy and basil, is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 17, 18, and 19 at his home, 425 N. Park Road in La Grange Park.
