Not San Marzano?

HudsonValley · August 10, 2016

I am growing several varieties of paste/plum tomatoes for sauce-making. Some are struggling after last month's heatwave (Rio Grande, Napoli), others are ripening their fruits and will soon die off (Roma), and one is just starting to ripen (Costoluto Genovese). The real winner of the bunch is a "San Marzano" plant (quotation marks intentional).

Here's the thing -- these "San Marzano" tomatoes are tiny, weighing under 1 oz. apiece. I was expecting 3- or 4-oz. fruit, but I'm not at all disappointed. The plant was totally unfazed by the heatwave, has almost none of the issues plaguing my other plants despite its lush foliage, and is COVERED with hundreds of tomatoes in trusses of up to 20 fruits. They are ripening over time, not all at once, and the plant is still growing and blossoming; it's currently a little over 6 feet tall. I regret that I only grew one! The tomatoes make great sauce and fit in a Kitchen Aid food mill attachment without slicing. They taste good in salads, too.

I did find one variety that looks/sounds similar -- an indeterminate "San Marzano Nano" listed on the TomatoGeeks website: http://tomatogeeks.com/product/san-marzano-nano-tomato/

A Google search suggests that there are actually multiple "San Marzano Nano" tomatoes out there, and that most of them are dwarf and/or determinate. Mine is definitely not a dwarf, and it seems to be indeterminate. I will have to take photos and add them...

In case you're wondering, a friend purchased the "San Marzano" seeds from Urban Farmer Seeds. (I know, I know... Two friends and I bought and shared seed to keep costs down; not all of us chose our sources carefully.

)
Any ideas what I'm growing? I've been bagging lots of blossoms in the hopes of sending seeds for the MMMM, but I have no idea how to label them.

August 10, 2016	#1
HudsonValley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hudson Valley, NY, Zone 6a Posts: 626	Not San Marzano? I am growing several varieties of paste/plum tomatoes for sauce-making. Some are struggling after last month's heatwave (Rio Grande, Napoli), others are ripening their fruits and will soon die off (Roma), and one is just starting to ripen (Costoluto Genovese). The real winner of the bunch is a "San Marzano" plant (quotation marks intentional). Here's the thing -- these "San Marzano" tomatoes are tiny, weighing under 1 oz. apiece. I was expecting 3- or 4-oz. fruit, but I'm not at all disappointed. The plant was totally unfazed by the heatwave, has almost none of the issues plaguing my other plants despite its lush foliage, and is COVERED with hundreds of tomatoes in trusses of up to 20 fruits. They are ripening over time, not all at once, and the plant is still growing and blossoming; it's currently a little over 6 feet tall. I regret that I only grew one! The tomatoes make great sauce and fit in a Kitchen Aid food mill attachment without slicing. They taste good in salads, too. I did find one variety that looks/sounds similar -- an indeterminate "San Marzano Nano" listed on the TomatoGeeks website: http://tomatogeeks.com/product/san-marzano-nano-tomato/ A Google search suggests that there are actually multiple "San Marzano Nano" tomatoes out there, and that most of them are dwarf and/or determinate. Mine is definitely not a dwarf, and it seems to be indeterminate. I will have to take photos and add them... In case you're wondering, a friend purchased the "San Marzano" seeds from Urban Farmer Seeds. (I know, I know... Two friends and I bought and shared seed to keep costs down; not all of us chose our sources carefully.) Any ideas what I'm growing? I've been bagging lots of blossoms in the hopes of sending seeds for the MMMM, but I have no idea how to label them.