Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

San Marzano the sideshoot champion

amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
in Fruit & veg
This year have ended up growing for the first time San Marzano tomatoes...working my way into building a canning factory in the garage (no, not really). But I'm amazed how many sideshoots they're throwing. If I had more space I'd let one go wild just to watch its octopus like spread. 

Have you observed them to be a bit overkeen to sideshoot in your own gardens? Get to remove a small handful every three/four days. 
To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They are supposed to throw loads of side shoots,  they’re indeterminate,  they shoot, flower and ripen in one go like Roma. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Grew Roma last year...they were not quite as active. Oh well, will keep trying to keep them in their space, after all who doesn't love the smell of freshly pinched off tomato shoots? 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    If you don’t want many tomatoes then by all means pinch them out, they only flower once, all at once. So if your happy with what you’ve got then that’s ok. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CloggieCloggie Posts: 1,457
    Only tried it once and it blighted almost immediately.  Unrelated probably but scared me off.
  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 664
    I grew San Marzano and was confused as to whether they needed the side shoots removed or not. I ended up removing them and still had plenty of fruit and don't remember that it all came at once. I certainly prefer the growth habit to that of Roma which sprawled everywhere. (This years tomatoes have been a bit of a disaster all round, planted too early and got knocked back by that cold spell and have never really recovered). Oh well, we live and iearn. 
Sign In or Register to comment.