Inciardi Tomato Transplant Sale with the Kane County Master Gardeners

Saturday, May 14, 2022 | 9 a.m. to noon | 535 S. Randall Road, St. Charles

We are partnering with the St. Charles Public Library Seed Library for this unique plant sale featuring the Inciardi paste tomato! With seeds from the library, the Kane County Master Gardeners grew these heirloom tomato transplants and will be selling them for $4 each. (Cash or check only)

What is an Inciardi paste tomato?

This tomato variety was brought from from Sicily to America by Henry Inciardi and family. We are told that the seeds were sewn into their clothes so they would not be confiscated at Ellis Island. Henry Inciardi settled in Chicago, worked for General Electric, and survived the Eastland disaster. The family continued growing the seeds for decades.

After it nearly went extinct, the Inciardi paste tomato was brought back by a handful of local gardeners, notably Vicki Nowicki, founder of the Downers Grove Seed Library, who continued to grow and save the seeds. Today, it is grown almost exclusively in the Chicagoland area and is said to make one of the best tomato sauces.

Proceeds will benefit the local Master Gardener volunteer program and projects. For questions, call the office at 630-584-6166 or email fellerer@illinois.edu. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate, contact the event coordinator. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.