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Growing San Marzano Indeterminate Paste Tomatoes in the Vegetable Garden

Although there are many types of tomatoes, growing instructions are almost identical across subspecies. Begin the seeds indoors up to two months before your estimated final spring frost date. Use a pre-wetted well-draining potting or germinating mix to start the seeds. Plant two seeds per cell and cover the seeds lightly with soil. Water them in with a gentle stream such as a mister or spray bottle to avoid rinsing the seeds away. Water regularly and use a clear plastic dome to increase humidity and moisture. As soon as the first seedling sprouts, ensure the tray receives full sun either in a bright windowsill or with artificial lights positioned a few inches above the tray. Remove the humidity dome once the seedlings have developed true leaves. Thin the seedlings to one per cell by removing the weaker seedlings when they have reached two inches tall. Apply fertilizer once they have two sets of true leaves. Transplant the seedlings into larger, 4 or 6-inch pots once their root systems have developed beyond the cell’s capacity.

Practice crop rotations to avoid soil-borne diseases and nutrient depletion. Before moving the seedlings into your garden soil, the seedlings should be hardened off gradually to acclimate to the sunnier, windier conditions. Transplant the seedlings into the garden once the danger of frost has passed. Add a calcium supplement to the soil beneath the seedlings before planting them out. Bury the stems a few inches deep to facilitate increased root development. Remove the lower leaves that don’t get sunlight and any suckers growing in between fruit-bearing branches. Fertilize with compost, worm castings, or another fertilizer of choice when planting into the garden. A 4-6-8 blend is typically a good balanced mix for tomatoes, but a soil test at the beginning of the season can determine the best ratio for your specific garden. A support such as a tomato cage will be crucial in maintaining the plant’s vertical integrity. Prune the bush periodically throughout the season to remove suckers and bottom leaves. Fertilize once more in mid-season. The best soil pH is between 6.2 to 6.8. Water regularly to ensure nutrient uptake and to limit disease prevalence. Prevent standing water by not overwatering the plants and by improving soil drainage if necessary. Limit disease spread by not getting water or mud on the leaves. Protect the plants from any cool weather; they are not cold-tolerant. Garden quilts or other covers should be used if cool weather below 45 F is expected.

Harvesting San Marzano Indeterminate Paste Tomatoes

Tomatoes are ready to harvest when entirely red with no green left on the fruit. Gently clip or twist the fruit to remove it from the stem. San Marzano Indeterminate paste is an indeterminate bush and will continually fruit throughout the season. The harvest can last as long as four months straight but will promptly end at the first frost of fall. Harvest the tomatoes as soon as they ripen to encourage more fruit before the end of the season.

About San Marzano Indeterminate Paste Tomato Garden Seeds

A traditional Italian heirloom tomato, the San Marzano is known for its high sugar and pectin content, ideal for robust yet delicate purees, sauces, and soups. San Marzano seed matures indeterminately, boasting unique 4 oz 5-inch-long Roma tomatoes traditionally used in the Mediterranean for canning. San Marzano is the premier canning tomato with heavy walls, very few seeds, and little juice, yet they are also delicious when eaten fresh.

Tomatoes are use liberally throughout Italy in a variety of dishes. The San Marzano type not only carries the classic benefits of any tomato but it is the premier choice of the Italian canning industry.

Indeterminate variety tomatoes need more structural support than determinate tomato plants. Indeterminates will continue to grow all season long until the frost kills them. There are multiple solutions to finding the right support system, whichever system you choose, it should be able to adapt to the height of the tomato plant as it ever-increases throughout the season and bears fruit.

Often compared to the famous Roma tomato in terms of shape, size, and flavor, San Marzano seeds grow a traditional Italian cultivar commercially produced throughout the 20th century. Introduced in 1926, the San Marzano seed has become an Italian staple where it is known locally in Valle del Sarno as Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino.

Tips From Our Gardeners

"San Marzanos are world-renowned for their high canning quality. Far surpassing Romas and other varieties with their supreme merits in the kitchen and the garden, they are perfect for growing this season!"

- Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

Other Resources

• Guide to Tomatoes

San Marzano Indeterminate Paste Tomato Seeds Per Package:

• 250 mg - Packet - Approximately 66 Seeds
• 1/4 oz - Packet - Approximately 1,875 Seeds
• 1 oz - Wholesale - Approximately 7,500 Seeds
• 4 oz - Wholesale - Approximately 30,000 Seeds
• 1 lb - Wholesale - Approximately 120,000 Seeds
• 5 lb - Bulk - Approximately 600,000 Seeds

Non-GMO San Marzano Indeterminate Paste Tomato seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on qualifying orders.