BUSH OR CORDON?

All San Marzano tomatoes are best grown as cordon type tomatoes. When growing them outdoors we would recommend limiting them to 3 or at the most 4 trusses depending on how much sun you get in your area of the UK.

APPEARANCE AND TASTE OF SAN MARZANO TOMATO

San Marzano Tomatoes from our allotment

San Marzano are without doubt the best tomatoes for sauces, their combination of flavour, meaty texture and very small amount of seeds makes them stand out above all the other varieties. As you can see from the picture below, these tomatoes do vary in size and texture.

You may think with all that going for them that they won’t do well outdoors in the UK but the opposite is true, they do very well. We recommend the variety San Marzano Redorta because it does better than other similar types in the UK.

This is a vigorous grower and will most definitely need support. Limit the plant to 3 or 4 trusses when grown outside and remove foliage which cover any of them to give maximum exposure to the sunshine.

For all the tomato varieties which we have fully reviewed, click the drop down box below, select a variety and then click the More Information Button.

Choose a tomato varietyAbraham Lincoln, open pollinatedAilsa Craig, open pollinatedAlicante, open pollinatedAmateur, open pollinatedAmish Paste, open pollinatedBlack Russian, open pollinatedCrimson Crush, F1Gardeners Delight, open pollinatedLosetto, F1Moneymaker, open pollinatedOutdoor Girl, open pollinatedRed Alert, open pollinatedSan Marzano, open pollinatedShimmer, F1Sun Baby, open pollinatedSungold, F1Sweet Million, F1Tigerella, open pollinatedTiny Tim, open pollinated

SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF SAN MARZANO TOMATOES

F1 OR OPEN POLLINATED?: Open pollinated variety which will grow true to type when grown from saved seed including San Marzano Redorta. Click here for clear instructions and even clearer pictures on how to save seeds from San Marzano tomatoes.

GROWTH TYPE: Cordon

WHERE TO GROW: Outdoors does very well, can also be grown in a greenhouse.

USE: Principally for tomato sauces of the highest quality but also makes a very tasty and meaty eater.

SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Red glossy skins with a smooth texture

FLESH COLOUR: Red

TASTE AND TEXTURE: Good balance of acidity and sweetness, firm meaty texture

STORAGE: Can be picked green ripens very well on a window sill

TOMATO SIZE: Larger than normal plum tomato shape

REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good yield

AWARDS: None

SPECIAL FEATURES: The best outdoor tomato for sauces and passata.

WHEN TO SOW SAN MARZANO SEED

The key dates for sowing and planting out San Marzano seeds / plants are given below.

The dates displayed below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.

• Sow seeds in pots indoorsSecond week of March
• Pot up young plantsSecond week of April
• Harden off young plantsFirst week of May
• Plant out young plantsThird week of May

WHEN TO HARVEST SAN MARZANO TOMATOES

This variety is a cordon type tomato and if they are pruned in that way you can expect to be picking your first San Marzano tomatoes in the first week of August

If you need any more information on growing this variety, click here to go to our main tomato page.

Other varieties which may also be of interest include:

AILSA CRAIG	GARDENERS DELIGHT
SUNGOLD	RED ALERT