Roma Tomatoes: Planting, Care & Use

Roma tomatoes are often found in our supermarkets. Here's all the information you need to start planting romatoes in your own garden.

Roma tomatoes are also known as bottle or egg tomatoes because of their shape. We present the best varieties of the Roma type and explain how the popular tomato variety is cultivated and used.

Origin and history of the tomato

The original 'Roma' tomato variety was created in the 1950s by crossing 'San Marzano', 'Pan American' and 'Red Top'. It was selected and marketed in Maryland at Plant Industry Station Beltsville. Nowadays, all plum to egg-shaped tomato varieties are called Romatomate. They are particularly popular in supermarkets, where they are often sold whole. However, the 'Roma' variety is no longer found there, it has been replaced by more disease-resistant hybrids with larger yields.

taste and properties

Roma tomatoes do not usually grow very tall, on average they reach about 160 centimeters in height. In general, they behave like stick tomatoes, their fruits are medium-sized, weighing about 50 to 100 grams and ovoid to oblong-bottle-shaped. Inside the Romatomato there are usually few seeds and a lot of pulp. Their taste ranges between mild, sweet and spicy-fruity. Most varieties of Roma tomatoes are seed-proof and can therefore be propagated from their own seeds - except for those with the additional designation "F1", which designates hybrid varieties.

The best varieties of tomato

• 'Marzino F1' is a mini romato. Its bright red fruits are about three centimeters long and taste sweet. They are best suited as a sweet tomato, unlike the normal roma tomatoes.
• 'Roma VF' is a disease resistant variant of the original roma tomato. The letters after the name indicate resistance to the fungal pathogens verticillium and Fusarium there. The 'Roma VF' grows rather small and compact as a bush tomato.
• The 'Striped Roman' belongs to the bottle tomatoes because it is significantly longer than it is wide. It is a processing tomato with few seeds and a lot of pulp. The ripe fruits are flamed orange-red on the outside and taste sweet and tomato.
• 'Ukrainian Purple' is a dark red-brown plum tomato originating in Ukraine. It does well as a cold tolerant plant outdoor tomato and bears many spicy-fruity and sweet fruits from the end of July.
• 'Old Ivory Egg' is one of the rare light yellow plum tomatoes. It tastes mainly fruity and sweet - like most yellow tomato varieties. This strain should be sheltered under a rain canopy as its fruits burst open easily.

Planting tomatoes: Here's how

Roma tomatoes can be cultivated in a greenhouse, but also outdoors and in pots. Most varieties are resistant to disease and are therefore also suitable for unprotected cultivation. Plant the roma tomatoes outside from mid-May or in the greenhouse from the beginning of May. When planting, you can place your young plants in a special substrate at any location, for example in our Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil, set. The high compost content promotes root formation, has a water-storing effect and is therefore a climate-friendly peat substitute. After planting, lightly press the soil around the young plant and water the soil vigorously. Now you can put a metal or wooden stick next to the tomato plant to tie it on.

Caring for the 'Roma' tomato variety properly

Especially in the field and in the greenhouse you should use the right one Watering and mulching tomatoes respect, think highly of. With a vegetable mulch layer, you save large amounts of irrigation water, especially in midsummer, and protect the soil from drying out. With fertilization at the beginning of June, you provide the fruits that are developing on your tomato plant with essential nutrients. An organic long-term fertilizer, like ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, is slowly decomposed by the soil organisms and converted into plant-available nutrients over a period of two months. With just one additional fertilization, you can supply your romato tomatoes gently and sustainably until the end of the season. Tomatoes of the 'Roma' type can be grown well with two or three shoots. Deep-seated side shoots are left standing, all others are removed. The Pinch off the tomatoes must be repeated every few weeks.

harvest time and use

With their dense flesh and few seeds, the romato tomatoes are ideal for processing. Spreads as well as ketchup and other sauces benefit from the low water content of this type of tomato. The fruity and spicy tomatoes also taste great fresh on bread and in salads.

Would you like to propagate your favorite variety for next year yourself during the summer? As Get tomato seeds yourself can, we explain in detail in our special article.