What is your experience growing San Marzano Redorta ?

10 years ago

I am trying San Marzano for the first time and I am getting a bit frustrated.

I started these from seed around March- April and they were in the ground outside by Memorial day. (Under floating row cover if it was a cold night or tooo much rain). I grow these in raised beds filled with compost and peat moss over my inherently sandy soil.

These plants seem like such slow pokes... first the seeds were hard to germinate (2-3 good seedlings out of 12 seeds) then they were slow to grow fruit... now I have several large fruits for a few weeks now and they aren't turning red. I picked a few green to ripen them indoors and they take FOREVER to turn red (I am talking at least 2 weeks if not more). I even picked one when it was just turning red and it was almost as though it stopped turning red in protest. Then they are developing cracked shoulders which get larger if I bring them inside. Now the nights are starting plumet here in Zone 6b... they are not below 40F yet but they are starting to approach it. So I have completely wasted the entire season on this plant and have one half ripe tomato to show for it.

Uggg... it is almost as though the plant is screaming ... DON"T GROW ME. Next year I want to try Opalka's for canning/paste or I even found some Roma seeds. But can anyone pin point what I've done wrong? Is it the seeds? the strain? Thanks.

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Comments (10)

sheltieche
10 years ago
I have Redorta saved for next year to try but have done regular San Marzano for few past years. It LOVES hot and dry weather. This year was not their year and I am done with SM, sounds like Redorta going to be just the same. Some varieties are just not going to work reliably for the climate you have IMHO.
Prachi
Original Author
10 years ago
That would make sense thanks for your reply lindalana... it also makes sense with the seedling issue... I still am working on not over watering my seedlings.
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It's nothing to do with the age of the seed which is good for several years, and your eggshells wouldn't help this year, but will be available (broken down by worms/microbes) for your plants next year - if you plant in the same place. Paste tomatoes are very prone to BER unfortunately! I have had the same problem this year. A long drought, and I thought that my watering had been consistent, even if I wasn't giving them a whole lot, but I've seen BER on a few of my plants, and particularly badly on Costoluto Genovese (another paste tomato). At least my CG was very productive and gave me lots of perfect tomatoes as well rotten ones. Could it be that your plants needed more nutrition? Did you add nutrients at plant-out time? Did you amend your soil at all? Do you use mulch to keep that precious moisture in? I shouldn't think there's much to be done now because it's already getting a bit late for new tomatoes to form in time to produce edible fruit before the first frost, so all that can be done is to research for a better growing season next year. Linda
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seysonn
10 years ago
LISTEN to your plant, don't grow it. LOL

I grew San Marzano (w/out the suffix) one . Didn't like it. BER everywhere and the fruits were small too.
John A
10 years ago
I grew the regular San Marzano one year. It ripened OK, but I thought the taste & texture were terrible. Opalka is my standby plum tomato. Try them.
John A
sheltieche
10 years ago
I also would suggest to look into beefsteaks and hearts. Lots of them are supermeaty with few seeds and little juice so they work very well for pasta sauces. One of my very reliable hearts for many years is Hungarian heart. I like Tatiana tomato website for great info on many varieties.
I have had good experience with Opalka.
Prachi
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all for your comments. Yes I'll definitely listen to my plant :)

I think Opalka is on the list for next year but will look into others... thanks for the suggestions lindalana... honestly all the tomato options out there are a bit overwhelming for me so getting suggestions and going through the posts is very helpful to narrow it down. Tatiana's site in particular is overwhelming to me... but perhaps as I am gaining more experience it will be less overwhelming.

Thanks again!
arley_gw
10 years ago
Out of about a dozen varieties I planted this year, Opalka was by far the most robust and the most prolific; there are still a half dozen ripening tomatoes on the vines. The bugs seemed to ignore it in favor of other varieties. Also, this summer was abnormally cool and wet, and while all the other varieties were cracking, none of that seemed to bother the Opalka plants.

It may be my location or my soil, but I wasn't too impressed with the flavor; it wasn't bad, understand, it just wasn't 'wow'.
lkzz
10 years ago
I grew San Marzano this season...I got several batches of sauce out of them which was better than I though considering we had a very, very wet season.

I will grow them again.
crazyoldgoose
10 years ago
I have grown san marzano redorta 3 years in a row. Great success. Great sauce tomato. I have had good success with seeds from Gray Isbin, Tomato growers supply and from seeds of Italy. You may have had some weather related problems with the cool spring and all the rain up there. Give it another try!
crazyoldgoose in Md
spacetogrow
10 years ago
I grew San Marzano Redorta for the first time this year. I haven't grown others of its general type so don't have much for comparison but I like it well enough.

It was a little surprising that the fruits fall off at the slightest touch if it has even a modest blush.

What is your experience growing San Marzano Redorta ?

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sheltieche

Prachi
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seysonn

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What is your experience growing San Marzano Redorta ?

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PrachiOriginal Author

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