Editorially reviewedLast reviewed 15/06/2026 · The Tomato Post Growing DeskPassport ref TP-SAN-MARZANO
At a glance
- Cultivar
- San Marzano
- Also known as
- San Marzano 2, SM
- Botanical
- Solanum lycopersicum
- Origin
- Campania, Italy
- Fruit
- Elongated plum, Deep red, 80–120 g
- Flavour
- Sweetness 6/10 · Acidity 6/10 — Meaty, few seeds, thick skin that slips easily after blanching.
Growing calendar
Sow
Feb · Mar
Plant
May · Jun
Harvest
Aug · Sept · Oct
Growing guidance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Days to maturity
- 80 days
- Height / spread
- 1.8–2.2 m / 50 cm
- Indoor / outdoor
- both
- Greenhouse
- excellent
- Containers
- acceptable — 40 L minimum per plant
- Support
- Sturdy cane; trusses become heavy when fruit sets.
- Pruning
- Cordon; remove side-shoots and lower leaves once fruiting begins.
- Feeding
- High-potash feed twice weekly under glass at peak season.
- Watering
- Even, deep watering. Avoid overhead watering to reduce foliar disease.
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to blossom-end rot if calcium uptake is disrupted by dry spells.
- Common problems
- Blossom-end rot, late blight outdoors in wet summers.
- Seed saving
- Open-pollinated; seed saved from ripe fruit will come reasonably true.
- In the kitchen
- The definitive sauce tomato — peel, deseed, simmer with garlic and basil.
A note on weather and microclimate
Every plot is different. Regional weather, aspect, soil and glasshouse ventilation all affect timing and vigour. Treat these figures as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Current growers, kitchens and seed
Growers on record
None on record yet.
Currently served by
No kitchen on record this season.
Seed
- Seed circles and swapsCommunity seed circles carry open-pollinated lines, often locally adapted. Provenance varies.
Sources
No external sources cited for this entry — content is original editorial and grower observation.