San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

[heliman]

Well I guess it won't be quite the same, but probably a reasonable substitute for Aussies to try....

I ordered some of these yesterday: Mr Fothergill's Australia : Tomato 'San Marzano'

I have a nice sunny spot to grow them at home (as well as an outdoor hydroponic system) so will give it a go and see how they work out.

Pretty cheap - 200 seeds for under $10 delivered to your door...

Rossco

[kebwi]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

My wife and I grew San Marzanos and cherry tomatoes in Seattle this summer with pretty good success (we've always had success with all kinds of tomatoes in New Mexico, they're an absolute cinch).

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

That sounds great Keith...

I think that part of the fun in all of this is doing as much as you can on your own. The tomatoes are such an integral part of the whole pizza making process that growing them yourself would be very rewarding. The thought of plucking them straight off the vine and using them on a pizza is particularly appealing to me...

Rossco

[kebwi]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

The cherry tomatoes rarely make it into the house, if you know what I mean.

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

Well the produce has to undergo rigorous, continuous, hands-on Quality Control - can't have inferior ingredients being added to pizzas ....

Rossco

[kebwi]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

I miss New Mexico in that respect. Tomatoes grew like kudzu there (they grow here, but not like some Jurassic nightmare). I practically had to cull the damn things with a machete. Same for basil and thyme. They were downright weeds in NM. Washington's all about apples and blackberries, which are fabulous, but I miss the basil. Dried and even store-bought fresh are not the same as basil from the backyard. I don't know why, but it just doesn't work. It's such a delicate leaf, it spoils in minutes. Anyone who's grown it knows what I'm talking about.

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

I have had much dificulty growing basil here in Perth. I have added some to the hydroponics garden but it requires a much lower CF that other produce like egg plant, chillies, passion fruit and tomatoes that the average nutriment level I have set may be a bit too much for it to handle. So far it is going OK but I have planted some seedlings in two other locations in standard soil so hopefully with 3 locations available - something has to grow (hopefully)!

The cats also like to dig up the soil for me and what with the slugs and snails that dine on the basil the odds are stacked against all of it reaching maturity. I have however found a great fresh produce shop down the road that sells the best fresh basil @ $19/kg. I normally buy a bag when I need it in bulk and it only costs about $1.20 a bag and it lasts a good week so it's good value...

Rossco

[RTflorida]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

I have seen the seeds but have never tried or known anyone who has tried to grow San Marzanos. In canned, there is a noticeable difference between SMs and regular tomatoes. Way better flavor.
I guess my question is - Do they grow to the same standards outside of Italy? I know many people that have tried growing Vidalia onions all over the country....and the sweetness can't be matched outside of a specific region in GA, something about the very low sulphur content in the soil.
Anyone out there who has grown San Marzanos care to give us a truly honest, unbiased opinion? Can 'domestic' stand up to the imports?

RT

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

I guess my question is - Do they grow to the same standards outside of Italy?

I'm sure that the growing environment of the Italian based ones clearly makes them unique - hence the reason the reason the genuine ones are so sought after.

The idea of growing "San Marzanos" is simply to get the best possible home grown, fresh "Roma tomato" variety for use on a pizza that I can. Whilst I'm not trying to compete with the real deal I reckon that I should be able to produce a pretty good tomato with that the added bonus of knowing that I grew it myself.

Rossco

[kebwi]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

We've grown Romas for many years and this our first year with San Marzanos, but honestly, I'm not really qualified to comment on it. Besides, we've frozen most of them and haven't used them yet. I think we may have actually used only one batch so far.

So, I don't have much to report, except that they grew fairly successfully in Seattle. Not crazy, but they grew, and the individual tomatoes are enormous, the size of bell peppers.

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

That sounds promising - I didn't know they were bigger than others.

That's a further plus to using them I guess!!

Rossco

[RTflorida]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

Rossco, good luck. I have had ZERO luck growing tomatoes here in Florida. Although virtually everything is grown here including large quantities of tomatoes, most home gardeners don't have much luck. Blight is a serious problem for the home gardener. The commercial growers must dump chemicals on their plants. Even a friend who is a certified master gardener told me 'good luck with that', knowing I did not have the time or expertise to avoid problems.
I must say, I grew up in Ohio (about 1200 miles north) and did not realize how good we had it when it came to gardening. Literally plop any variety of tomato in the ground, wait 75-90 days, and have have so many that you tired of eating, canning, and giving them away. No pest problems, no fungus or blight, no extreme heat.....just a short growing season. Just before moving here I envisioned having fruits and vegetables thriving all over my property because of the extremely long season or the double season of many vegetables. It is really 10 times the work keeping the plants healthy and can consume much of your week. My only success is basil, I just replaced a potted basil plant that had produced for nearly 2 yrs, every 2-3 wks I would trim it down to sticks and it would fight right back and produce a gallon freezer bag full every 2 weeks. I have added three more to the run, so within 6 or 8 wks I will have a freezer full of basil.
I have also had pretty good luck with chili peppers - new mexico, aneheims, jalopeno, and serrano.

RT

[heliman]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

Wow - I thought Florida would be perfect for growing all sorts of stuff. Strange about the tomatoes too. Hopefully I will have better luck in the warm, dry Mediterranean climate here...

Ross

[RTflorida]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

you can grow anything very easily, keeping it alive and pest free is the problem. I have no problems getting tomato plants to grow like crazy for 30-45 days. About the time tomatoes form I seem to be doomed.
I've had the following in the past 2 growing seasons: fungus - early blight, grey leaf spot, and FV wilt. Bugs/pests - leaf minors. All major infestations that I just could not get rid of despite "professional" guidance.
I should be planting right now (or within the past month) but have become so frustrated, I will wait for next spring and skip a growing season. Some of these fungus are soil born and tough to get rid of. I grow my tomatoes and peppers in raised planters, so I am keeping the soil covered to dry out in between multiple anti-fungal and pest treatments. I guess I could try replacing the soil again.....but that didn't help the first time.
Seriously, good luck with the SMs, give us a full report after harvest. Might be worth a shot for me to try something completely new next year.

RT

[cynon767]

Re: San Marzano Tomatoes - Grow your own!

That sounds promising - I didn't know they were bigger than others.

That's a further plus to using them I guess!!

Rossco

The San Marzanos aren't really any bigger than other Romas, but they do grow slightly differently. One of the biggest reasons they aren't more widely grown is that the crop comes in gradually rather than all at once like the standard Romas, which makes harvesting more laborious for commercial growers. For household gardens, though, it's often a plus... you can pick a few tomatoes at a time over the season instead of having one big harvest that then needs canning.

You should probably do well with them. Your Mediterranean climate is perfect for tomatoes.