Tomato Growing 2024

They'll almost certainly be F1s so the general advice is to not have the expectation of it being the same. I grew piccolo once from a supermarket tom and it made a nice vigorous plant with sweet orange tomatoes, not the red like piccolo.

I'd give it a bash and see what you end up with

 

I believe San Marzano are an old variety from the Naples area so should come true.

Worth a go but keep an eye out for seedlings on sale too, just in case. Failing that, Seeds of Italy have them on their list.

 

The standard San Marzano are an heirloom variety that will come true from saved seed.

There is also San Marzano 15 which is an F1 variety that was developed in the USA. Seed from them will not come true

 

I'm too used to supermarket toms being F1s that I'd have expected that variety to be "Mini San Marzano" F1 or similar but a quick Google suggests it's maybe an heirloom bred to be small. I suppose the San marzano name has enough cache to get a premium so supermarkets could still sell it profitably

 

I've checked my seed box and I've got some each of Rosella (my favourite for flavour), Gardeners Delight, Blue Bayou and Yellow Pear, so if the mini San Marzano turn out different from their parent it's no great shakes. I grow them outside so the season isn't really long enough to ripen big tomatoes.

 

Our first lot of Toms are coming on nicely.
Shirley
Sweet Apertif
Red Alert
Plum Roma
Moneymaker
Honeycomb
Gardeners' Delight
Garden Pearl
Alicante
Sweet Million
Tumbling Tom Red
Tumbling Tom Yellow
plus some peppers and chillies.

 

Are you a commercial grower @gks, or do you just really like tomatoes?

 

I'm new to gardening, but had success with Orange Wellingtons last year. I kept the seeds, and the seedlings from these are growing well- BUT, I've only just learnt that it's a hybrid!
Does anyone know what the parent plants would have been and IF I left the seedlings growing, what they might become? Am I better off to just buy new seeds and starting again?

 

Do both? Sow the saved seeds and see what you get. Might be interesting, but get some new seeds too so you're sure to get what you want.

 

Thank you.

 

They look good! So far I have 4 plants of Real Seed's House tomato which taste good and are my first to fruit, mainly because I sow them first and keep them in the house till it is warm enough to put them in the greenhouse.
Just sown Sungold, Honeymoon, Rosella and Toddler for the greenhouse. I'll sow Primabella and Skykomish later for putting outside.

 

Pricked out 24 tomatoes, 6 tomatillos in another little tray. @gks is getting worried at the competition no doubt

 

I grew Piccolo from saved seed a few years ago, and while they were pretty much identical the first year, they were definitely different the following one. I still have loads of seed, so I'll sow some again, as they crop so well. Always interesting to see what happens. They even managed to do well outside here last year - not something that's easy, but the climate is definitely changing in that respect. Still need most of them undercover though.
I might even get round to some seed sowing today as it's a lovely spring one after a wee frost, an dmore importantly - no gale force winds!

 

Did you save seed from the supermarket tomatoes? We like those very much but I heard they were F1 and it seems like your post confirms that. I suppose you could save seed from the best ones but I tend to have only one plant of each variety.