The San Marzano tomatoes belong to the bottle tomatoes and are characterized by their fruity aroma. Introducing the Italian tomato variety.
The miraculously shaped San Marzano tomato is a legendary variety that brings us closer to the fruity and aromatic taste of a holiday in southern Italy. We introduce the bottle tomato in more detail.
San Marzano Tomato: Profile
| Fruit | salad tomato; red |
| Flavour | sweet and fruity with little acid |
| Maturity | late |
| Growth | Stick tomato, up to 150 cm |
| Location | Greenhouse, Outdoor |
Origin and history of the ‘San Marzano’ tomato
The 'San Marzano' is probably named after the place of the same name in Campania, the region around Naples. It has been grown commercially in southern Italy since the 1920s and was mainly used in canned tomatoes. Over the years, however, more resistant and easy-care varieties replaced the 'San Marzano' and so it was finally deleted from the catalog of varieties in 1991. Fortunately, the variety survived in home gardens and thanks to an initiative of the Campania region, so that it is still available today for gourmet tomato fans.
Characteristics and taste of plum tomatoes
The fruits, which are about ten centimeters long and pointed at the bottom, hang in long panicles of seven to eight fruits. To ripen, the bottle tomato needs a lot of heat and time, it only begins to ripen from mid-August and is therefore one of the late-ripening varieties. The 'San Marzano' reaches a height of up to 150 centimeters and produces up to five kilograms of tomatoes per plant. The taste of 'San Marzano' can be described as sweet and fruity, with little acidity. The flesh is deep red and firm. You can purchase several variants of the strain as seeds, including a non-propagating hybrid strain.
Planting San Marzano tomatoes: outdoor tips
The 'San Marzano' is a disease-tolerant and extremely robust tomato, which makes it ideal for outdoor cultivation. After the last frost in mid-May, the young plants of the 'San Marzano' can be placed in the bed. To do this, dig a sufficiently large hole and fill it with a special substrate such as our Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil. The completely peat-free soil is pre-fertilized and provides your freshly planted San Marzano tomatoes with the nutrients they need for rapid growth.
Caring for San Marzano tomatoes
Due to its size, the 'San Marzano' must be supported with a stick after planting. The Italian bottle tomato can be grown with two shoots, so you remove all side shoots in the leaf axils except for one that is far below. You can find out in detail how to pinch tomatoes in our special article. From June the fruit starts to grow, now the 'San Marzano' needs a large amount of nutrients. With a primarily organic long-term fertilizer - such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer - soil life is supported and the plants are supplied with nutrients evenly over the long term.
Harvesting and use of plum tomatoes
The 'San Marzano' is a perfect tomato for processing, it reveals its unique flavor best cooked and processed. The 'San Marzano' is ideal for soups and sauces, but also as ketchup and for preserving.
The bottle-shaped tiger tomatoes are very similar in shape. Find out everything about the pretty striped tomatoes in our variety portrait.