Tomato Roma refers to mid-season varieties. It has a medium-sized fruit. This tomato is convenient in canning for the winter and is used for cooking various dishes. This variety is easy to care for during growth and fruiting.
Tomato Roma: characteristics and description of the variety
The fruits are plum-shaped. They are medium in size and have an average weight of 65 g. Tomatoes are distinguished by rich red color. Their pulp is juicy and fleshy. Tomato Roma has a dense structure and is therefore hardy during transportation. Fruits for a long time retain excellent presentation.
The taste is clearly felt sweet notes. During harvesting for the winter, these tomatoes are excellently salted out and acquire, over time, the rich taste of brine and seasonings. Often this variety of tomatoes is used to make sauces.
How to plant and when
A variety of Roma tomatoes can be planted in two ways: seeds and seedlings. The optimal predecessors in crop rotation are:
- legumes;
- bow;
- cabbage;
- cucumbers.
These crops do not deplete the soil, and some of them even fertilize it. To grow seedlings, seeds are planted to a depth of 3 cm at the end of March or at the beginning of April in special containers. Before this, planting material must be steeped for several hours in potassium permanganate for disinfection and future protection from insects and various diseases.
When 1-2 leaves appear, it is necessary to make a pick of the plant. Thus, it is possible to achieve good root growth in the future bush. This will increase the number of fruits and plant endurance. Some agronomists abstain from this process and seeds are initially planted in larger pots.
About 2 weeks before the seedlings are planted in the soil, a hardening process is necessary. To do this, boxes with plants are taken outside in any weather. At night, the seedlings are brought back into the room. In greenhouses, doors and windows open during the daytime for this.
Tomatoes are planted in open ground at 70 days of age. Seedlings can be transferred to greenhouses within 25-30 days after planting seeds. There, the plant begins to grow and bear fruit earlier than in open ground.
Plant care
Tomato Roma is bred in the USA and is suitable for cultivation in a moderate type of climate. This variety does not require specific manipulations. It practically does not differ in care in comparison with other tomatoes.
Feeding should be done no more than 2-3 times per season. This process cannot be carried out during the summer heat, otherwise the fruits and plant will “burn out”. It is better to perform these manipulations in the evening or in the early morning hours.
Intensive irrigation is necessary for several weeks after transplanting seedlings into the ground. Then you don’t need to fill tomatoes a lot with water, otherwise they can get late blight. Vegetative organs and fruits suffer from it.
Roma tomato is less resistant to this disease. This tomato variety does not like excessive moisture. With sufficient vegetation, the plant must be vertically tied to any wooden support. Thus, fruitful branches can easily keep the crop and the fruits will not touch the ground, which will help protect them from infection with fungal diseases.
Periodically loosening the soil and removing weeds as necessary.
Watering and feeding
Tomato Roma should be watered at least 3-4 times a week for the first 10 days after transplanting seedlings into the ground. Then, the amount of irrigation can be reduced and they can be produced only if necessary with a prolonged absence of rain.
Watering is done directly under the root. Do not pour water on the plant. In this case, late blight will certainly affect tomatoes.
Plant nutrition is carried out three times:
- the first - in 10 liters of water 1 tbsp. a spoon of nitrophoska with 0.5 liters of mullein;
- the second - 10 liters of water with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate and 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate, 0.5 liter of liquid chicken manure is added here;
- the third - 1 tbsp. a spoon of potassium humate is mixed with 1 tbsp. tablespoons nitrofoski, dilute the mixture in 10 liters of water.
Each top dressing is carried out at the rate of 0.5 liter of mixture per plant. You can not produce it after a long drought without prior artificial irrigation.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
This plant is of the determinant type. This means that the bush develops to a limited extent, thereby giving more fruits. Also, with the help of this feature, it is easy to calculate the required number of bushes of the Roma tomato variety for a specific plot of land. Tomato bushes are compact.
Tomato "Roma" (photo in the article) is characterized by a long period of fruiting. Thus, a crop of fresh tomatoes can be harvested before the end of September. Good yields will help stock up on vegetables throughout the winter.
The fruits are strong enough and do not crumple during transportation. This variety can be transported over long distances. Therefore, it is often planted by farmers for the subsequent sale of tomatoes.
This variety is disease resistant. With proper watering in compliance with the rules, the plant does not affect late blight. To avoid this disease, after rains you need to water the plant with clean water in a small amount.
Variety disadvantages
A sufficient amount of sunlight and heat are needed for the proper development of Roma tomatoes. In the description of the variety, it is indicated that with an insufficient amount of these components the plant vegetates poorly, the yield decreases several times. Therefore, initially planting seedlings in the area, which most of the time is in the shade, is not recommended.
The plant reacts negatively to increased humidity. With such indicators, the flowers are poorly pollinated and fade. It is necessary to strictly monitor that watering occurs directly under the root. Otherwise, the plant will be affected by fungal diseases.
Tomato Roma: reviews
Many summer residents note a high yield of this plant variety. The fruits are small in size and are great for pickling whole winter. Mistresses note the excellent taste of the vegetable. The fruit is fleshy with a slightly sweet taste.
In many restaurants and cafes, these tomatoes are used as the main ingredient for making sauces. Excellent dishes are obtained thanks to the rich taste of tomatoes.
Summer residents and farmers note the ease in caring for the plant. They do not require manipulations that would be different from those that are produced when growing the main varieties of tomatoes.
Farmers on the positive side describe the structure of the fruit. It is dense and elastic. Thanks to this, the tomato crop can be transported for sale without damage.
Some gardeners plant seedlings in several stages in the ground. Thus, it is possible to get a tomato crop until late autumn. Seeds in greenhouses for this are planted at time intervals, inclusive through May. Then, with the same intervals in time, the seedlings are transferred to the soil.