San Marzano Tomato
carrot
chives
black beauty eggplant
Photos
I'm so very, very behind on my gardening. I was travelling heaps and had lots of other commitments through October/November, which is peak spring planting time here, and nothing got done. I've come to the realisation that if I'm going to do work that involves that sort of travel, I …
Last edited by shiny on November 09, 2026. View history
San Marzano Tomato
A variety of tomato
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a red, edible berry from the nightshade family native to western South America. Widely used as a savory vegetable in cooking, it was domesticated in Mesoamerica and brought to Europe by Spanish explorers during the 16th century.
- 3
- plantings
- 0
- harvests
- 0
- seed packets
San marzano tomato facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
Optimal temperature
20–27 °C
Absolute temperature
7–35 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
600–1300 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
400–1800 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5.5–6.8
Absolute soil pH
5–7.5
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
70–150 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
2400 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
clear skies
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For San Marzano tomato, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 7°C and a shortest growing cycle of 70 days at its best temperature, about 1155 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your San Marzano tomato will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Growing San Marzano tomatoes
- Sow seeds indoors 6 weeks before planting out
- Harden off the seedlings 1 week before planting out
- Stake or cage the plants 1 week after planting out
- Water deeply 2 weeks after planting out every week
- Pinch out side shoots 3 weeks after planting out every 2 weeks
- Feed with tomato fertiliser 6 weeks after planting out every 2 weeks
- Check for first ripe fruit 1 week before first harvest
- Pull out finished plants 4 weeks after first harvest
How members grow San Marzano tomatoes
Sunniness
Loading...
Planted from
Loading...
Plant San Marzano tomatoes with
Photos
San marzano tomato harvests
Video
Where San Marzano tomatoes grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about San Marzano tomatoes
cavalo nero
sunflowers
arugula
eggplants
zucchini
squash
Who's planted San Marzano tomatoes
San marzano tomato harvests
Nobody has harvested this crop yet.
Sign in or sign up to track your San Marzano tomato harvests.Find San Marzano tomato seeds
There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 70 to 150 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Solanales Solanaceae |
|---|---|
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about San Marzano tomatoes
Resources outside Growstuff.
