Roma versus San Marzano

[jackarmy]

So ive sown my toms today ( well most of my toms) , seems an appropriate day as any and have included a few cooking toms , mainly russian earlys , but i want to try one of the above italian ones for the last time.

Ive grown them both b4 and have struggled with BER in both, mainly i think because they were in mfb, soooo.

Whichever one i choose will go into 25l pots at home and the ground at the lottie. Also Roma comes with mixed bush/cordon info so all info helpful, this really is their last shot, ta in advance

Jack

[Thelma Sanders]

Roma always seemed a bit less likely to get BER when I grew it, and I always grew it as a bush, although it still needs support. Of the 2 I think this will be easier in a large pot, standing in a bowl for watering.
SM being a cordon is easier to support, and will get less BER planted in the ground.

Good luck!

[MarkPelican]

Personally I don't grow either, for whatever reason I find the Italian tomatoes struggle in my polytunnel and I never get a decent crop. For cooking I grow Kibits Ukranian and Japanese Black Trifele. The latter give a beautiful dark rich sauce.

[ecudc]

I grew both last year in the ground in a polly. Didn't have much of an issues with BER but possibly the more even availability of water in the ground helped. Roma seemed a bit more healthy than the SM but that might be because the Roma went so bonkers it shaded out the SM.

[jackarmy]

Thanks for the replies, im growing a few other plums but ive decided on San mazano for one last try. The Roma i will send into the seed swap, , let someone else worry about it.
Mark, i think im with you all the way, just one last go

[wargarden2017]

I love growing San Marzano uneven watering and low calcium in the soil or plant is what usually cause BER. But even with a few tomatoes lost ever season to BER it is a tomato worth growing. Roma does not even compare in making sauce and fresh eating terms of taste.

[TrixC]

I always have problems with BER in plum tomatoes, I'm guessing it's something to do with the shape making them particularly prone to it. This year I'm trying a couple of the oxheart varieties to see if they perform any better.

[Scarlet]

For cooking I grow........Japanese Black Trifele. The latter give a beautiful dark rich sauce.

Do you get a good crop from these? I've tried them several times, lovely tasting toms but not a lot of toms per plant.

[B Porcupine]

San Marzano Redorta

I grew Romas in my greenhouse last year and was very pleased with the quantity and quality. They were used in salads and I made tonnes of sauce and soup and chutney.

But I wanted to try San Marzanos. I read (somewhere) that there are San Marzanos and there are San Marzanos and not are all equal. The Redorta substain was recommended, so here we go!

I think there is varietal shift (?) that affects the quality of what you grow. Good seed from a good source is the rule.

[MarkPelican]

Do you get a good crop from these? I've tried them several times, lovely tasting toms but not a lot of toms per plant.

Variable - between 0.5kg and 2kg per plant. I didn't keep a record of the weight of each type in 2016 but (if my memory serves me right) Kbits did well.

[GBax]

I got quite bad Botrytis in my greenhouse last year. Green zebra was worst affected and i didn't get any crop at all, second worst was San Marzano, the crop was poor and the taste of the few that came off it were terrible.