Tomato seeds are a warm weather crop best if started indoors about 6-8 weeks prior to final spring frost. Plant 2-3 seeds 1/4" deep per cell in fertile, humusy, and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.8. Seeds germinate in 5-14 days, transplant best starts to 1 per pot or 18-36" apart in the garden. Ideal in container gardening. Before sowing, know whether the seed is determinate or indeterminate, as each will exhibit different habits.
Determinate varieties mature to a predetermined size, producing its fruit all at once with only a minor need for staking. Indeterminate varieties grow indefinitely through the season, producing non-stop fruit while requiring heavy support. Roma VF tomato seeds are a determinate tomato crop.
Tomato is the quintessential staple of summer gardening and arguably offers the most seed diversity among all seasonal fruits. Available in every possible color, shape, and size, tomato is a high-heat and full sun favorite that thrives from container and patio gardening. Along with cucumber and summer squash, the tomato plant is one of the most productive, hardy, and heavy fruiting crops of the season.
Determinate plants, reaching up to 36" tall, produce bright red, plum-shaped tomatoes that weigh about 2 oz. each.
While Roma VF tomatoes are an open-pollinated variety, they remain resistant to Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt because of the early selection for these traits.
Smaller varieties such as the cherry are ready to harvest at about 80 days from sowing while larger varieties like the beefsteak may require a few extra weeks. Although vine-ripened fruit is always preferred, tomatoes can just as easily be harvested early and ripen indoors by being stored in a paper bag or box along with a banana for its ethylene gas. Ripest tomatoes may be pulled from the vine by hand, while more firm ones should be clipped with shears.
To get the best yield when growing Roma tomatoes from seed, be sure to start them indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date, then transplant the Roma VF tomato seedlings into rich, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. With adequate sunshine of 8 or more hours each day and consistent watering, a Roma VF plant will produce hundreds of tomatoes.
Solanum lycoperscium. (75-80 Days). Determinate.
Famous pear shaped fruits that bring any Italian dish to life. Roma are noted for the juicy paste and few seeds that come from this time tested tomato. Roma is a mid-season crop that ripens within a 2-3 weeks period for an easy harvest.
Also known as paste tomatoes, Roma VF tomatoes are commonly used in making sauces, pastes, ketchup, and sun-dried tomatoes thanks to their meaty texture and lower water content than tomato varieties that are best for slicing and fresh eating. Roma VF tomatoes are a favorite among home canners.
"68 days. A very important new tomato development at the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Maryland. Final selection came from progenies of crosses of San Marzano, Pan American and Red Top. Vine and fruit characteristics resemble Red Top, but much more productive and slightly larger San Marzano type fruit. There has been great need in the past for a wilt resistant paste tomato in areas where infestations of fusarium wilt has been a problem. Roma fruit ripens evenly to a deep red color. Interior is extremely high in solids, making it excellent for processing whole, for manufacturing of pulp or fortifying soup stocks. The mild flavor, few seeds and solid paste-type flesh make Roma fine for home use in fresh eating and salads."
Roma makes up the bulk of our canning for paste or sauce. We plant about 5-10 plants giving us a quantity to can once at the start of production and again at season end. We also like Principe Borghese because of its dry interior flesh taking less time to cook down to a paste. Romalina is another excellent paste tomato to try.