Solanum lycopersicum 'Roma'
vegetableRoma is the classic determinate paste tomato found in markets and gardens everywhere, valued for egg-shaped, meaty, low-moisture fruit with few seeds and thick walls that cook down into rich sauce, paste, and canned tomatoes. Each fruit runs about 2 to 3 ounces, and the compact bushy plants set nearly their whole crop in one concentrated flush rather than spreading it across the season. That habit is the whole point: it gives the cook a large batch of nearly identical fruit ready at the same time for a single big canning or sauce day. The plants are widely adapted and carry good resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilts.
Sun
full sun
Water
Every 3 days
Harvest
~75 days
Difficulty
medium
Lifecycle
annual
One season, then done
Spacing
18-24 in. apart
Planting Depth
1/4 in.
Soil pH
6.0-6.8
Soil Type
Rich, well-draining
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 10
Grown as an annual — this range is its winter hardiness, but you can grow it for a single season in any zone.
When to Fertilize
At transplant, then every 3-4 weeks at fruit set
Fertilizer
Balanced 5-10-10, low nitrogen
Start seed indoors about 5 to 6 weeks before the last frost, a quarter inch deep at 75 to 85F, then harden off and transplant once nights stay above 50F, burying two-thirds of the stem. Give full sun and space 2 feet apart. As a determinate bush it stays around 3 to 4 feet and needs only a short stake or small cage, and it should not be pruned of suckers, since removing them on a determinate reduces the already-set crop. Give a deep, even weekly soak of about an inch and mulch to keep moisture steady, because paste tomatoes are especially prone to blossom-end rot when watering is erratic. Keep nitrogen modest.
Start seeds indoors
Mar 4
Transplant outdoors
Apr 29
Projected first harvest
Jul 13
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Interplant dill, borage, or basil to draw parasitic wasps; handpick at dusk; rotate nightshades yearly
Keep soil moisture even and calcium adequate; mulch to buffer the soil
Mulch to stop soil splash, prune lower leaves for airflow, avoid overhead watering
The determinate crop ripens together about 75 days from transplant, which is what makes Roma ideal for a single large canning or sauce batch rather than a steady trickle. Pick the fruit when it is deep red and firm, and plan to harvest most of it within a week or two once the flush turns. The dense, meaty flesh cooks down with little draining and freezes or cans well. Store at room temperature and never refrigerate ripe fruit, and use a second, later sowing if you want a second flush for preserving.
Roma packs concentrated lycopene along with vitamins C and K and potassium into dense, low-water flesh, which is why it makes such full-bodied sauce. Because lycopene is absorbed far better from cooked tomatoes eaten with a little fat, the Roma is arguably most nutritious in its intended form as a simmered sauce or paste rather than raw.
Eat the ripe fruit only. Tomato leaves and stems (and large amounts of very unripe green fruit) contain solanine-type compounds and are not for eating.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.