Name: Organic Italian 'San Marzano' tomato
Brand: Biologiquement vôtre
SKU: BIOV-SEMENCES
Price: 4.49 CAD
Availability: InStock

Sale Sold out

A close overhead view shows many harvested San Marzano tomatoes piled together. The glossy red fruit is elongated, with rounded shoulders and slightly tapered ends. A few green calyxes remain attached among the overlapping tomatoes. The frame is filled almost entirely by whole fruit, without foliage, sliced flesh, or a visible garden setting.

Open-pollinated indeterminate Italian heirloom paste tomato Solanaceae

Organic fruiting vegetable seeds

Biologiquement vôtre

Solanum lycopersicum

From seed to harvest

HeirloomOpen-pollinated

Common nameSan Marzano Italian paste tomato

FamilySolanaceae

GenusSolanum

Specieslycopersicum

CultivarSan Marzano

TypeOpen-pollinated indeterminate Italian heirloom paste tomato

Botanical nameSolanum lycopersicum

Reproducible seedsYes

Heirloom varietytrue

Organic Italian 'San Marzano' tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an open-pollinated heirloom paste tomato. It produces elongated red fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity. Meaty texture and high solids reduce the water that must evaporate during cooking, encouraging rich smooth sauces, purées, soups, and braised dishes. Tomatoes can also be roasted, dried, or eaten fresh. Maturity generally occurs around 78 days after transplanting. This combination of dense flesh, limited seed space, and elongated shape makes the variety especially practical for batches of cooked tomato preparations at home.

Sow indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost, approximately 0.5 cm deep. Maintain 21–27°C and even moisture; germination usually takes 7–14 days. Provide intense light immediately after emergence, pot seedlings up after true leaves appear, and harden them gradually. Once frost risk has passed, transplant in full sun into deep fertile organic-rich well-drained soil. Indeterminate growth requires a tall cage or sturdy stake installed at planting. Secure lengthening stems with soft ties and preserve airflow around the foliage as the plant develops through changing summer conditions outdoors after establishment.

Water deeply at soil level when the surface begins to dry and maintain even moisture through fruit set and sizing. Mulch after the ground warms, preserve good airflow, and avoid excess nitrogen. Harvest when tomatoes are uniformly red, firm, and slightly yielding. Process fruit intended for sauce or purée promptly. For shelf-stable canning, follow a tested recipe that specifies acidification, jar size, and heat processing. The cultivar name does not constitute protected Italian origin certification. Discard fruit that becomes mouldy, slimy, deeply split, or abnormal-smelling before kitchen use or storage.

Light and life cycle

In the garden

Exposure: Full sun
Life cycle: Warm-season annual

Sowing and germination

Sowing guide

Sowing & germination

Sowing depth

0.5 cm (1/4 in)

Spacing / density

Space plants approximately 90 to 120 cm (36 to 48 in) apart to accommodate growth and air circulation.

Germination temperature

21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F)

Germination time

7 to 14 days

Sowing period

March through April indoors then transplant after frost Adjust these dates to your local frost dates and soil conditions; Canadian growing seasons vary by region.

Propagation

Seed

Growing method

How to start tomato seedlings: 'San Marzano' tomato. Sow San Marzano indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost, approximately 0.5 cm deep in lightly moist seed-starting mix. Use clean seed-starting mix, even warmth, and moisture that never leaves the cells waterlogged. Match 'San Marzano' to full sun and observe the actual hours of unobstructed light at the site. Brush or gently move seedlings only as part of normal airflow, not as a substitute for adequate light. Space the crop approximately 90 to 120 cm (36 to 48 in) apart to preserve access for watering, inspection, and harvest. Maintain even root-zone moisture from flowering through fruit development, avoiding abrupt swings from dry to saturated mix. The tomato plant develops the expected harvest form: elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity. Use visible changes in the crop rather than the calendar alone to judge harvest. Install the cage, stake, or trellis at planting when support is needed. Its mature habit is indeterminate, upright, and vigorous. Leave this tomato open to light, airflow, and watering at soil level. Its growth is indeterminate, upright, and vigorous. Move the vine into a larger cell after true leaves develop, preserving the root ball and product label. Keep loaded clusters supported as frost approaches, and remove split or diseased fruit from the harvest area. Pick the crop at its intended colour and texture, supporting clusters so stems do not tear. Before frost, harvest sound developed fruit for indoor finishing, discard diseased material, and record transplant and first-pick dates for the next Canadian season.

Soil and care

Soil & care

Soil pH

Approximately 6.0 to 6.8

Moisture

Consistent soil moisture without saturation; good air circulation around the foliage.

Care level

Moderate

Watering

Maintain steady moisture for Italian 'San Marzano' tomato while its elongated, meaty fruit fills, without keeping the soil continuously wet. Italian 'San Marzano' tomato's elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity is carried on indeterminate upright and vigorous growth, so extend watering beyond the stem as the supported canopy enlarges. The harvest guide for Italian 'San Marzano' tomato is approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting; maintain moisture while younger clusters continue filling. Water Italian 'San Marzano' tomato slowly at the base, soak its root zone, then wait until the upper soil begins to dry before irrigating again.

Soil type

For Italian 'San Marzano' tomato, choose a deep loam that drains freely while retaining enough moisture for continuous paste-fruit development. Prepare Italian 'San Marzano' tomato's bed for indeterminate upright and vigorous growth bearing elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity, not only for the small spring transplant. Allow approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting for Italian 'San Marzano' tomato to develop, providing soil volume that stays aerated after repeated watering. Before setting Italian 'San Marzano' tomato, mix mature compost through the area while preserving a crumbly structure rather than a dense amended pocket.

Fertilization

For 'San Marzano', fruit development competes with foliage under excessive nitrogen. Choose amendments from soil results and crop response. Once Italian 'San Marzano' tomato flowers, favour steady growth over leafy surges. Never place fertilizer directly against young roots. San Marzano Italian paste tomato benefits from balanced fertility before its first trusses. Treat stalled growth as a diagnosis, not a deficiency. Fertilizer cannot correct water-related disorders on 'San Marzano'. Apply every fertilizer at its labelled rate. For Italian 'San Marzano' tomato, its root zone needs consistent moisture while fruit enlarges.

Seasonal care

Seasonal care for 'San Marzano' tomato. Use Italian 'San Marzano' tomato’s stated sowing window as a frost-relative cue, not a universal date: indoor sowing six to eight weeks before last frost; transplant after frost. Sow 0.5 cm deep at 21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F); the working germination range is 7 to 14 days, with moisture held steady rather than saturated. Keep young seedlings close to strong light, rotate trays for balanced growth, and pot them on before roots become crowded. After several days of hardening, set 'San Marzano' plants outdoors only when frost danger has passed and nights have become reliably mild. Install a sturdy support at planting and guide new growth before stems become heavy or tangled. Prepare a sunny, well-drained bed; mix mature compost through the root zone and keep the lower leaves clear of soil splash. Maintain even root-zone moisture, because abrupt swings between dry soil and heavy watering can split expanding fruit. Where space is limited, give Italian 'San Marzano' tomato a container large enough for its mature root system and keep every drainage opening clear. As yellow flowers open, preserve airflow around 'San Marzano', check ties and supports, and watch the undersides of leaves for early pest or disease signs. Use the supplied harvest guidance—approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting—as a starting point; judge each fruit by developed colour, full size, and a slight yield under gentle pressure. Harvest 'San Marzano' regularly without pulling the vine, and bring sound, well-developed fruit indoors before the first hard frost.

Growing in containers

Container growing

Growing 'San Marzano' tomato in containers. Choose a stable container sized for the mature plant, with several unobstructed drainage holes. Check moisture daily during hot or windy periods, using pot weight and the root zone rather than a rigid schedule. At final planting, space 'San Marzano' approximately 90 to 120 cm (36 to 48 in) apart; crowding extra plants reduces access. Install a stake or cage at planting when support is needed, without later piercing the root ball. Leave enough access around 'San Marzano' to inspect and cleanly harvest elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity. Rotate the container when one side receives less light, but do not twist loaded stems against their support. Plan around the way the vine grows: indeterminate, upright, and vigorous. Keep access to the root zone for watering and inspection. Fill the container with fresh, airy vegetable potting mix amended modestly with mature compost, never dense garden soil. This tomato needs full sun; nearby walls or taller crops should not compromise it. Prevent soil splash on lower leaves, fasten stems without constriction, and keep flower clusters and developing fruit easy to inspect. As nights cool, check ties and actual root-zone moisture before deciding whether temporary shelter is worthwhile. Harvest the tomato plant when colour and texture show the intended stage. Before frost, gather sound developed fruit; quarantine any plant moved under protection and inspect it for insects.

Growth and harvest

Size, flowering & harvest

Flower color

Yellow

Foliage color

Green

Foliage type

Compound, divided foliage with an aroma when bruised; grown as an annual in your region

Growth rate

Fast

Growth habit

Indeterminate upright and vigorous

Edible parts

Ripe fruit

Bloom period

'San Marzano' carries small yellow self-fertile flowers in clusters along its flowering stems. Breezes or bumblebee vibration normally release their pollen. Let beneficial insects visit without spraying open blooms. For 'San Marzano', after successful set, each retained blossom begins developing the elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity. Keep moisture even, avoid a nitrogen surge, and support the canopy before fruit adds weight. In the Italian 'San Marzano' tomato planting, heat, cold, or drought may cause temporary blossom drop; correct the environment before pruning or feeding heavily. Record the first bloom and first set dates for local planning.

Fruiting

After pollination, flowers form clusters of elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity. Harvest generally begins around 78 days after transplanting, then clusters ripen progressively on the indeterminate plant. Look for uniform red colour, firm texture, and slight yielding. Maintain consistent moisture, support loaded stems, and pick frequently. Compare colour and gentle firmness with the expected elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity; cool weather can slow the final change.

Days to maturity

Approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting

Harvest

Pick San Marzano roughly 78–85 days after transplanting when the elongated paste tomatoes are uniformly red, firm, and slightly yielding. Support the cluster while detaching fruit so stems do not tear. Process sauce tomatoes promptly, and use a tested recipe for any canning. Before frost, gather sound developed fruit for indoor ripening; reject mouldy, leaking, or abnormal-smelling tomatoes.

Garden companions

Garden associations

Companion plants & uses

Companion plants

Basil, parsley, chives, lettuce, or onions can share a diversified bed with 'San Marzano' when each crop keeps its own root room. Tie or cage the tomato before nearby herbs make its base harder to reach. Rotate Italian 'San Marzano' tomato away from tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes rather than treating companionship as disease control. Remove any neighbour that begins competing for light, moisture, airflow, or harvest access. In the 'San Marzano' planting, preserve a clear route to the elongated red paste fruit with dense flesh and a small seed cavity, and remove neighbours that begin shading fruit or trapping damp air. Use companion planting to organize succession and diversity, not as a substitute for sound crop care. Reassess the arrangement around 'San Marzano' as both crops approach mature size.

Plants to avoid

Avoid waterlogged soil, overhead watering, crowding, and repeated rotations with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or potatoes.

Garden use

'San Marzano' tomato in the vegetable garden. Install a strong cage, stake, or trellis at transplanting rather than assuming that every seed line sold under this name has the same compact habit. Move a hardened plant into full sun after frost and leave room to tie stems and reach elongated paste fruit. Water deeply at soil level and keep moisture reasonably steady; dry-to-wet swings can split fruit and contribute to blossom-end problems. Mulch after the ground warms, leaving the stem base clear. Use balanced fertility guided by the soil and avoid excess nitrogen. The dense red fruit with a small seed cavity is listed around 78–85 days from transplanting. Harvest when fully coloured, firm, and sound, picking regularly for sauce batches. Support loaded clusters and remove cracked or blossom-end-rotted fruit promptly. Inspect foliage for hornworms, aphids, and leaf spots, use clean tools for diseased tissue, and avoid handling wet plants. Rotate tomatoes away from previous nightshade beds where disease has persisted and clean supports between seasons. If seed saving matters, confirm the exact supplier strain, isolate blossoms appropriately, and keep complete labels because multiple San Marzano selections circulate. Record support requirements each season.

Recipe and storage

Recipe idea

From garden to table

'San Marzano' tomato in the kitchen. San Marzano tomato sauce — Rinse fully sound fruit under running water, remove stems, and cut the tomatoes into pieces. Simmer with onion and herbs until the desired texture is reached. Dense flesh and a small seed cavity reduce the water that must evaporate and encourage a concentrated sauce. Serve hot or cool rapidly in shallow containers, then refrigerate leftovers within two hours. This is a fresh sauce preparation, not a canning method. For shelf-stable sauce, follow a tested recipe specifying acidification, jar size, and heat processing. Do not use fruit that is mouldy, slimy, deeply split, or abnormal-smelling. Wash the board, knife, utensils, and surfaces after preparation. Keep the sauce covered and well chilled until the next serving, then reheat only the amount required. Never taste a preserved product that shows a bulging lid, leakage, spurting liquid, mould, or an unusual odour. Use a clean serving spoon each time the sauce is handled.

Wildlife and pets

Wildlife & precautions

Supporting wildlife

San Marzano flowers are self-fertile and can be visited by bumblebees collecting pollen. Processing tomatoes do not have a separate pollination requirement from salad types. Keep the row open enough to inspect flower clusters and remove no healthy blossoms merely because other tomato varieties are absent from the surrounding garden.

Frequently asked questions

When should San Marzano be sown and transplanted in your region?

Start San Marzano indoors about six to eight weeks before the intended transplant date. Sow 0.5 cm (¼ in) deep at 21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F); germination usually takes 7 to 14 days. Provide bright light, move seedlings into larger pots as needed, and harden them gradually. Transplant only after the last frost when soil and nights are warm. This open-pollinated Italian paste tomato is indeterminate, upright, and vigorous, so provide a tall cage or stake from planting time. Leave enough space for airflow and access to the elongated fruit. Dense red paste tomatoes with a small seed cavity are listed at approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting. Let full red colour and sound texture confirm the actual harvest rather than relying on date alone.

Is San Marzano determinate or indeterminate?

San Marzano is indeterminate, upright, and vigorous. It continues extending and setting its elongated paste fruit while warm weather lasts, rather than ending growth after a single compact flush. Install a tall cage or stake at transplanting and guide stems with soft ties before they become heavy. Leave approximately 90 to 120 cm between plants so you can reach the fruit and keep air moving around the foliage. The record does not publish a final height, so support it according to the indeterminate habit rather than promising a fixed measurement. Harvest is progressive, with maturity listed around 78 to 85 days after transplanting. Continue tying fresh growth and picking red fruit as it ripens instead of treating San Marzano like a short determinate processing tomato.

When should San Marzano tomatoes be harvested?

Generally harvest around 78 days after transplanting when elongated fruit is uniformly red, firm, and yields slightly to gentle pressure. The date remains approximate because heat and light affect ripening. Support fruit while picking and remove it without pulling stems. Pick regularly as clusters ripen, bring developed fruit indoors before frost, and discard tomatoes that are mouldy, slimy, or abnormal-smelling. Colour, firmness, and fresh aroma together provide better ripeness cues than the calendar alone. Inspect several fruit in the same cluster because the elongated tomatoes may colour at different rates. Keep a firm, fully red sample from a satisfactory harvest as the local reference, then pick in passes rather than stripping the vine. Clip resistant stems with a clean tool. Separate cracked or bruised tomatoes for immediate inspection instead of mixing them into a storage batch.

Can San Marzano be grown in a container?

San Marzano can be grown in a container, but the product facts do not specify a verified pot volume. Choose a very large, deep, stable vessel with generous drainage for its vigorous indeterminate root system. Install a tall cage or stake at planting and anchor it before the elongated paste fruit begins loading the stems. Put the pot in full sun after frost danger has passed. Water slowly through the whole root ball, let surplus escape, and check moisture often during heat. Keep new growth tied and leave enough space around the plant for airflow and repeated harvest. Maturity is listed at approximately 78 to 85 days after transplanting. If a sufficiently large container and secure support are not available, in-ground culture is the more reliable choice.

Is San Marzano heirloom and reproducible?

Yes. San Marzano is an open-pollinated heirloom. Seed can be saved from fully ripe healthy fruit when plants have been isolated sufficiently from other tomatoes to limit crossing. Collect several representative fruits, clean the seed, dry it completely, then store it in a cool dry dark place. Label the cultivar and harvest year. Discard seed from diseased plants or mouldy fruit. Cross-pollination can change characteristics in the next generation, so isolation and careful selection improve the likelihood of maintaining expected San Marzano traits. Keep the saved 'San Marzano' lot separate from eating seed, record the parent plants and harvest year, and store it only after every seed is fully dry. Before committing the main planting, a small labelled germination test can reveal whether storage preserved a usable lot without claiming that every offspring will remain identical.