San Marzano II is an exclusive high-quality strain of the classic heirloom paste tomato, bred to deliver the rich flavor and dense flesh that made the original San Marzano legendary. This open-pollinated indeterminate variety reaches maturity in 78 days and produces the elongated fruits ideal for sauce-making, canning, and paste production. Growing to a sprawling vine that requires sturdy support, it thrives in moderately rich soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8, demanding careful fertilizer management to prevent excess nitrogen from derailing ripening. For gardeners serious about tomato sauce or paste, San Marzano II represents the pinnacle of culinary tomato breeding.
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San Marzano II carries the reputation of one of the world's most celebrated paste tomato lineages, refined into a strain that performs reliably in home gardens. The fruits are dense and meaty, with few seeds and a flavor profile shaped by generations of Italian tomato craft. At 78 days to harvest, it matures quickly enough for most growing seasons, yet the indeterminate growth habit means it will keep producing through fall if given proper support and tending. Gardeners who master the nitrogen balance and provide sturdy trellising will be rewarded with abundant harvests perfect for transforming into rich, glossy sauce.
San Marzano II excels in sauce and paste production, where its dense flesh and relatively low seed content create smooth, concentrated results. The fruits are equally suited to canning, bottling, and long-term preservation. While fresh eating is possible, the variety's character truly emerges when cooked down into rich tomato sauce, paste, or preserves that capture the essence of late-summer abundance. Home gardeners use it for making salsa, marinara, and the foundational sauces of Italian cuisine.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds indoors approximately 5 to 6 weeks before your transplant date. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep in 20-row flats with 20 seeds per row, or in 200-cell trays with 1 seed per cell, and lightly cover with soil mix. Keep the germination medium at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit with moderate moisture; seeds typically germinate in 5 to 7 days. At the first true leaf stage, pot up seedlings to 50-cell trays or 4-inch pots depending on your expected transplant timing. Grow transplants at a constant 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit with complete fertilizer until hardening off. Avoid starting too early, as leggy, root-bound, or flowering transplants can cause stunting and reduce early production.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after hardening off, spacing plants 24 inches apart in rows spaced 48 inches apart. Wait until nighttime temperatures consistently remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent stunting. Install trellising at or before transplanting to avoid damaging roots later.
Harvest San Marzano II fruits when they reach full color and slight softness, typically around 78 days from transplanting. Pick tomatoes in the morning when they are cool and firm, gently twisting and supporting the fruit as you detach it from the vine. For cooking and preservation, harvesting at the near-ripe stage is acceptable; for storage, select blemish-free fruits at this stage to maximize shelf life.
As an indeterminate variety, San Marzano II will grow vigorously throughout the season and benefit from selective pruning once vines exceed a manageable harvest height. Use pruning or short trellis extensions to keep the plant within reach and allow adequate light penetration to the developing fruits. Avoid heavy pruning early in the season, which reduces fruit production; instead, focus on removing excessive vegetative growth mid-season once fruit set is established.
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“San Marzano tomatoes originated in the volcanic soil near Naples, Italy, where they became the gold standard for Italian tomato paste and sauce. Johnny's Selected Seeds has developed this exclusive high-quality strain, refining the genetics to create a version that brings the authentic San Marzano character to North American gardens while maintaining the open-pollinated seed that allows gardeners to save and perpetuate their own stock year after year.”