It’s not hard to find the best San Marzano tomato seeds for your garden! We have a list of the top seeds for you, so you don’t have to search around.
You can grow these tomatoes in your garden or greenhouse. They produce nice, giant plants that will yield large amounts of tomatoes. You can use them for canning, cooking, and fresh eating.
There are hundreds of different tomatoes out there, but none compare to San Marzano tomatoes. This Italian variety is known for its sweet, rich flavor and meaty texture. They’re also prized as one of the best sauces or pasta sauces you’ll ever taste!
Have questions about growing San Marzano tomatoes? We have answers! Check out our guide to growing Italian heirloom tomato varieties for expert advice.
What are San Marzano Tomatoes?
San Marzano tomatoes are considered the best plum tomatoes in the world. They have sweet and flavorful flesh, low acidity, and few seeds. They have a rich, full-bodied taste when cooked in a sauce or paste. Here’s some more information about this popular tomato variety.
What Makes San Marzano Tomatoes Special?
The San Marzano tomato is known for its long, slender shape with pointed ends. It has very few seeds, and the flesh is much thicker than other plum tomatoes — perfect for canning into sauces and pastes. The tomato was developed in the rich volcanic soil of the area around Mount Vesuvius at the end of the 18th century.
Why Are They Called San Marzano?
San Marzano Sul Sarno village sits on a fertile plain between Naples and Salerno, Italy. Since ancient times, the village has been praised for its produce, but it wasn’t until 1875 that seeds from the area were sent to America to start a new variety of tomato plants. Since then, the name has been used to describe any plum tomato grown in this region (in Italy, they’re called Pomodoro del Piennolo.
Why choose San Marzano tomatoes?
San Marzano tomato seeds are among the best you’ll find for a few reasons. First, San Marzano tomatoes are considered the best-tasting tomato in the world. They’re great for making sauces and pastes because they have fewer seeds and more flesh than other tomatoes.
Second, San Marzano tomatoes are among the most disease-resistant tomato varieties. This is especially helpful if you plan to start your plants indoors and transplant them outside after the last frost.
Third, San Marzano tomato plants produce more fruit than other varieties. Within ten weeks, San Marzano plants will produce a bounty of ripe tomatoes with thick flesh and few seeds perfect for cooking sauces and pastes.
Do San Marzano Tomatoes have seeds?
Some do, but they’re small and not as numerous as other varieties. Many people find San Marzano tomatoes to have fewer seeds than other varieties. The seeds are also smaller than those of other tomato types.
This may be because San Marzano tomatoes are often harvested when slightly under-ripe. When tomatoes aren’t fully ripe, they may have less seed content, which means they can appear seedless even if they aren’t.
San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes that originated in Italy. They are generally considered sweeter and less acidic than other tomato types, making them an ideal ingredient for pasta sauces and stews.
Can you grow san marzano tomatoes?
Yes, you can grow your own San Marzano tomatoes.
While this variety has its roots in Italy, it’s now grown worldwide and is considered the best tomato for making sauces and pastes.
San Marzanos are easy to grow from seed, but they have weaker vines than other tomato varieties. You’ll need to stake them or use cages for support as they grow.
How to grow san marzano tomatoes
The best way to grow San Marzano Tomatoes is by starting them in a seed tray, then transplanting them into larger containers when they’re big enough.
Although they can be grown in the ground, root disturbance and damage caused by hoeing or weeding can seriously affect the crop yield.
Place the seed tray in a warm, sunny spot and keep the compost moist until germination. Once the plants have outgrown their seed tray, you can transplant them into large pots or grow bags which you should place on a sunny patio or decking area.
You can feed the tomatoes with a high potash liquid feed every two weeks to encourage good flowering and fruiting.
Harvest when tomatoes turn red on the vine, then allow them to ripen further off the vine for maximum flavor.
When to plant San Marzano tomato seeds
After the last frost, the best time to plant San Marzano tomato seeds is in spring. Since San Marzano tomato plants grow 4 feet tall, they need to be supported with stakes or cages.
You generally want to plant your tomatoes when the soil temperature is between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is usually a week or two after the last frost date in your area.
The ideal soil pH for growing tomatoes is between 6.2 and 6.8, but tomatoes will tolerate a pH as low as 5.5. For comparison, an average of 5.7 would be considered neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline). Contact your local agricultural extension office if you need help testing your soil and making adjustments.
The first step in planting San Marzano tomato seeds is to decide whether you want to start the tomato plants indoors and transplant them later or plant them directly in the ground. If you are going to be starting your San Marzano tomato seeds in a greenhouse or indoors, you will need to give the tomato seeds time to germinate and grow before being transplanted outdoors. To do this, plant the seeds indoors 6-10 weeks before the last frost of winter. You can start them by planting the San Marzano tomato seeds directly into a seed tray filled with a seed starting mix or by soaking them overnight in water and then planting them in a cup of soil. In either case, cover the San Marzano tomato seeds with about ¼ to ½ inch of soil and keep them at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. The plants should begin to sprout within four days.
If you decide to plant your San Marzano tomato seeds directly in the ground, you will have to wait until all danger of frost has passed. Once that time comes, plant your San Marzano tomato seeds directly into the ground or a container and cover them with just ¼ inch of soil, just like you would if you were starting them indoors.
Best San Marzano Tomato Seed Varieties
San Marzano tomatoes are prized for their sweetness and thin skin, making them ideal for canning and sauces. Even though they originated in Italy, you can easily grow San Marzano tomatoes in your garden.
The following are our top picks for San Marzano tomato seed varieties:
Redorta
Redorta is a San Marzano variety developed in the late 1800s by plant breeders in the Lombardy region of Italy. The plants are indeterminate and produce medium-sized, pear-shaped tomatoes that average 3 ounces each. They have a meaty flesh and very few seeds, making them an excellent choice for sauce. Redortas are best eaten fresh or made into sauce. They take about 90 days to mature from transplant.
San Marzano Redorta Organic
This variety has a similar background to Redorta but is organic seed. It’s also indeterminate and produces the same type of fruit as the non-organic version. It takes about 90 days from transplant to produce ripe fruit.
San Marzano 2
Another vigorous grower, this determinate variety is prized for its superior disease resistance and its delicious taste. Fruits reach 2 to 3 ounces each and have a thin skin that makes them ideal for cooking.
San Marzano redorta filippo vignola
This heirloom variety is one of the most popular types of San Marzano tomatoes sold in Italy. A great producer, it bears 3- to 5-ounce fruits with thin skin and few seeds. The flavor of the San Marzano redorta Filippo Vignola is tart and acidic, with a rich taste that is well suited to sauces.
San Marzano 3
Bred from classic Italian strains and selected for superior flavor, yield, and disease resistance. The deep red fruits weigh about 4 ounces each, grow on indeterminate vines, and are crack resistant, so they are good candidates for canning. You’ll get a heavy set of fruits that keep coming from midsummer until frost.
Viva Italia San Marzano
Viva Italia San Marzano is an heirloom, open-pollinated variety from 1887. This variety is also indeterminate and produces medium-sized tomatoes that weigh 3 ounces on average. They’re meaty with few seeds and have a sweet flavor with low acidity. These tomatoes are best used fresh or in sauce, and it takes 90 days from transplant for them to reach maturity.
A review of the best San Marzano Tomato Seeds
Tomato Seeds – San Marzano
San Marzano Tomato Seeds for Planting Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds for Home Garden Vegetables Makes a Great Gift for Gardening by...
- CLASSIC TOMATO - San Marzano is a paste type tomato great for salsa, sauces and Italian dishes
- FLAVORFUL - San Marzano tomatoes pack a punch with flavor. Meaty, tender, sweet and delicious
- HEIRLOOM - Non-GMO, Heirloom and open-pollinated San Marzano tomato seeds - Can save seeds for future gardens
Tomato Seeds - San Marzano
San Marzano Tomato seeds produce plants that thrive to a mature height of roughly 3 feet tall when staked and supported. The plants produce long clusters of tomatoes that weigh in at around 2 ounces each. The tomatoes are bright red in color and are slightly oblong in shape. They have a rich and sweet flavor that is great for canning and other cooking uses.
San Marzano Gigante 3
SAN MARZANO GIGANTE 3
The San Marzano Gigante 3 is a variety of plum tomatoes traditionally grown in volcanic soil near Naples, Italy. The name derives from the town of San Marzano Sul Sarno, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, where the first specimens were found.
These tomatoes are prized because they have an intense flavor, low acidity, and few seeds. It has a thicker flesh than other tomatoes, and its taste is stronger, sweeter, and less acidic. It is considered by many chefs to be the best sauce tomato in the world.
Heirloom Marriage Marzinera
HEIRLOOM MARRIAGE™ MARZINERA - BUY 5 PLANTS GET 6TH FREE
This is not an average tomato! The Marriage Marzinera, a cross between a red and yellow cherry tomato, produces large clusters of grape-size fruit. Each fruit is striped with red, orange, and gold in the classic marbling that gives this variety its name. Not only does it produce well in even the hottest weather, but its flavor is sweet and mild. This unusual and beautiful variety will be a favorite for snacking in your garden or at the farmer’s market.
Pomodoro Squisito
POMODORO SQUISITO
The Pomodoro Squisito has been a favorite of Italian gardeners for generations. This sauce tomato produces large crops of 8 to 10oz deep red fruit. The classic, flavorful fruit is perfect for sauces or fresh eating. A great choice for hot climates and short growing seasons.
Pomodoro Squisito is an indeterminate type of tomato that will continue to grow in length throughout the season (until killed by frost). To get the most from your tomato plants, it is necessary to tie them up to a trellis or cage.
Mini San Marzano Tomato Seeds (also called Baby)
Mini San Marzano Tomato Seeds. This is a genuine San Marzano tomato but on a smaller scale. The plants are more compact, the leaves are smaller, and the fruits are about the size of ordinary plum tomato, but with all the flavor and quality of their larger counterparts.
If you like to can tomatoes, these are ideal for making small cans of whole tomatoes or making homemade tomato paste. They also work well in pots; just be sure to give them plenty of room to grow.
San Marzano Tomatoes are a variety of plum tomato that originated in Italy. They’re prized for their rich taste, and their popularity extends beyond cooking too many other applications. Growing San Marzanos is easy: once you’ve managed to get your plants started, they’ll take care of themselves throughout the growing season. This is an excellent introductory tomato for new gardeners that you should try your hand at growing. Would you like to know how to grow the San Marzano tomatoes? Find out here.
