Illustration of San Marzano tomato
Illustration based on known variety traits. Appearance varies by growing conditions.

No. 007 · open-pollinated

San Marzano

San Marzano is an indeterminate open-pollinated paste tomato with red fruit. It ripens in about 85 days.

Typepaste tomato
Habitindeterminate
Days to maturity85
Fruit size2 to 4 oz
Colorred
Difficultymoderate

Flavor

Compared with Roma, San Marzano is described as stronger, sweeter and less acidic, with thicker flesh and fewer seeds, which is why it is the benchmark sauce and canning tomato. Attributed description, not a measured claim.

Origin

Originated in San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples, Italy. One account dates the first seed in Campania to 1770; commercial cultivation is recorded from 1926. The protected European designation applies only to fruit grown in the defined volcanic-soil zone near Mount Vesuvius.

What it does well

  • Benchmark sauce tomato
  • Meaty, low-moisture flesh
  • Breeds true from saved seed

Where it frustrates

  • Tall indeterminate vines need staking
  • Prone to blossom-end rot
  • Late, so start early in cold zones

Related reading

Sources