I don't know Linda. I grow mostly the Redorta version of the San Marzano and like how it does. I like to cheat on mother nature too. She'll probably seek a divorce next spring if I get my way(have plenty of resources for greenhouse framing and plastic(sunmaster). Last year my Redorta's only grew maybe 4 feet tall but i let them get bushy. It was a new garden bed and I got a late start. The year before the bed was 1 years old and I put a hoophouse over it. It was a rebuild that got a little shorter. Center peak was maybe 8-10 feet. As much as I think that is too short those tomatoes loved it. I think I set them out early April to harden them off. I used weed cloth before setting them in the ground. It was probably mid April when they went in. They got a cup of slow release and Alaska fish fertilizer(which Sarah Palin can smell from her house lol)until they were vegged out enough. Not really enough room above. Plants were probably 12-13 feet tall. Many varieties besides Redortas. I just found they loved that heat so much. Last year I used Jobes Heirloom fertilizer on tomatoes and peppers and had a lot of production. Best way to veg the plants out is with heat. The thing I would change is I'd want all the sides to be 8 feet tall so I could roll up the plastic that far and get more of that Summer Breeze Seal & Crofts sung about ;).

Hey Joe watta ya know: I thought I was the only one who made a little fuss over Pizza Sauce. You do pretty good too !!!!! Might as well put in my recipe AGAIN. Don't know if anyone will try it ??? Might be good !!! Lou Pizza Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce ( Gravy ) You can use canned tomatoes but make sure they are Italian or a deep red color. Some choices are Contadina , Red Pack , HuntÂs , All Red, = Tutto Rosso, Chento Pizza Sauce 1 Large can of Tomato Puree and Crushed Tomatoes I use Powdered Spices now, and get the same results 1 level teaspoon Garlic pwd. (add more later to taste) 1 tablespn. of onion powder. 1 teasp. Salt. 3 teasp. Sugar ( add more if it tastes too acidy ). An Italian pinch of pwd.cloves. 3/4 teasp. Oregano ( or to taste ) it is strong. 1 teaspoon of Parsley, 1/2 teasp. basil. 1/4 teasp. black pepper. ½ teaspoon + of ( Chicken flavored Soup Base ) Large handful of Parmasan Cheese, when done , after 1/2 hour. Continue for Spaghetti Sauce This recipe can be used for Spagetti Sauce ( maybe you would want to cut down on the Oregano ) also just add a can of Tomatoe Paste and water to thin a little , if it is too thick it will burn easily. It will thicken as it cooks. ½ cup of fine chopped Onion. And 3 bay leaves . Don't forget the Chicken flavored Soup Base. Add uncooked Meatballs, Sausage and Chicken Thighs, when you start cooking. (cook at least 1 ½ to 2 hours ) Take the chicken out when it is done. ( About 1 hour ) Add the Parmasan Cheese after the sauce is cooked & stir ALSO !!! season to your own taste. Add more or less of what you like.

lol. Runny sauce - that's what I get when I try to be hip. Two ingredient sauce is the new wave in pizzerias because it's supposed to taste fresh. (Check out the recipe for a three ingredient version of the sauce - Roberta's Pizza Sauce from the New York Times). However, in commercial pizzerias it's clearly not a problem because they use so much of it. I have plenty of other sauces in my freezer from Bolognese to the sauce I learned to make in Florence (carrots, celery, onions, garlic and canned tomatoes - actually Pomi) and this just doesn't happen to any of them. It's just the San Marzano canned tomatoes that liquify in the freezer. I opened a can of paste the other night for something else and I was kind of eyeing it up thinking I should mix it into the runny sauce but I knew also that it would radically change the taste so I didn't. It wasn't a really big deal for the pizza I was making (believe me, I was more upset by the grainy ricotta which mark my words I will NEVER use again on pizza). I have never heard of tomato powder but I am kind of liking the concept of that. Someone should invent single serving pizza sauce.

Tomato guts? Intestines? Really? And all this time I've just been calling it "glop" or "goo". I'm definitely out of step. (grin) I do remove it (mostly) when making salsa because I don't want the salsa to be too thin, so I could see doing that for sauce also. I usually make sauce in large amounts and so put all my tomatoes through the Squeezo, which takes out the seeds and peels for me. Sol is right, you can make a really good roasted tomato sauce by just putting everything on a sheet tray and roasting it until the tomatoes break down and any additions (like garlic) are soft enough to puree. I remove the skins as I dislike their texture, but I know some people just puree them with the skins on and don't seem to be bothered by them. jerzeegirl, that's why I always brush the crust with olive oil, so the tomatoes don't make it too "wet", but if they are really juice I'll drain the slices before I use them. And now I'm just waiting for tomato season, right now I have blossoms on the plants, but it's going to be a while before tomatoes.... Annie