San Marzano - Tomato Plant

San Marzano is one of the best-known Roma and plum tomatoes of all. The elongated red fruit has plenty of firm flesh, comparatively little juice and only a few seeds. It's exactly these traits that have made the variety famous worldwide, above all as a sauce and processing tomato.

We raise San Marzano ourselves in Illmitz as a young plant. Like all tomato varieties in our range, it's open-pollinated. For anyone who wants to eat their own tomatoes not just fresh but also preserve sugo, passata or tomato sauce, San Marzano is a genuine classic.

What makes San Marzano so special?

The key difference from many classic salad tomatoes lies in the fruit's structure. San Marzano forms elongated, meaty tomatoes with firm flesh and a relatively low juice content.

That means the fruit loses less water when processed and produces especially aromatic, thick sauces. The thin skin and low seed content also make San Marzano interesting for processing.

How do San Marzano tomatoes taste?

Fully ripe San Marzano tomatoes have an intense tomato aroma with sweet-fruity notes and balanced acidity. Thanks to the firm flesh, the variety feels less watery than many classic salad tomatoes.

The fruit also tastes good fresh, but for us its special qualities really come through in cooking and preserving.

San Marzano for tomato sauce, sugo and passata

San Marzano is closely tied to Italian cooking. The variety is especially known for tomato sauce, sugo, passata and peeled tomatoes.

The meaty interior preserves very well and produces a bold sauce with comparatively little excess liquid. That makes San Marzano excellent for pasta, pizza, lasagne and many other Mediterranean dishes.

If you harvest larger quantities in summer, you can also preserve the fruit well and make part of your tomato harvest last through winter.

Where does the San Marzano tomato come from?

The history of the San Marzano tomato is closely tied to Campania in southern Italy. In particular, the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area around San Marzano sul Sarno became known for the traditional growing and processing of these tomatoes.

Today, "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino" is protected as a designation of origin. This PDO label may only be used for approved lines grown and processed in the specified Italian region.

We, on the other hand, raise our San Marzano plants ourselves here in Illmitz, Burgenland. We therefore use the name purely as a variety name, not as a PDO origin claim.

Growing San Marzano in the garden

San Marzano grows as a vigorous cordon tomato and needs a sunny, warm and, where possible, sheltered spot. The plant keeps growing throughout the season and should therefore be trained on a sturdy tomato stake, string or trellis.

For classic cordon growing, we recommend pruning side shoots regularly. If you have enough space, you can also train the plant with several main shoots.

An even water supply and enough nutrients during flowering and fruiting are important. A sheltered spot also helps keep the foliage as dry as possible.

Growing San Marzano in a pot

San Marzano can also be grown in a pot. Since it's not a compact balcony tomato but a vigorous cordon tomato, though, the container should be sized accordingly.

We recommend at least around 20 litres of volume per plant. A larger pot makes it easier to provide even water and nutrients in warm summer weather.

For small balconies with limited space, there are more compact tomato varieties. If enough room and a sturdy support are available, though, San Marzano can also grow successfully on a patio or balcony.

A classic sauce tomato, raised by us

San Marzano is, for us, one of the classic varieties for anyone who wants to grow tomatoes not just for snacking or salads. Its particular strength lies in its meaty fruit structure and versatile use in the kitchen.

We raise our San Marzano young plants ourselves in Illmitz. If you're after an aromatic, open-pollinated sauce tomato for a garden, greenhouse or a sufficiently large pot, San Marzano is a proven choice.