The Roma tomato is a determinate type of vegetable that adapts well to climatic conditions. The characteristics and description of the Roma tomato variety will provide complete information about the fruit. The plant is not susceptible to fusarium and verticillium. During the season it produces a lot of fruits, which are perfectly preserved without spoiling their presentation or taste.
Description
Roma tomatoes have gained immense popularity in Australia and Italy. In Russia, farmers fell in love with this type due to its versatility, as well as ease of care. Southern regions and other parts of the country where good, mild weather allows tomatoes to be grown in open areas. In those regions where the summer is not very warm, there may be temperature changes at night, it is better to give preference to the greenhouse growing method and use film shelters.
Description of Roma tomato:
- Determinate species.
- Mid-season, fruits begin to appear 105-115 days after sowing the seeds.
- Useful properties, taste and other qualities are preserved even when frozen. Thus, the Roma tomato can be used in winter for preparing any dishes.
- The fruits grow in the shape of a plum, their pulp is dense and has a lot of sugar.
- Tomatoes are small in weight, on average about 80 grams.
- The bushes, like the fruits, are small, up to 0.8 m in height. There are few branches on them; due to their size, they can be planted on 1 square meter. m. up to 7 bushes.
In Russia, they started working on this species not very long ago; all seeds are supplied from Holland, but there are already reviews and photos of the yield of Roma tomato from farmers. Some people believe that this particular species is not suitable for use in salads and is better used for rolling, tomato paste, and sauces.
All the nutrients that the plant takes from the soil are spent on the formation and ripening of tomatoes. The Roma variety can be stored for a long time and transported over long distances. On average from 1 sq. m. you can get up to 12 kg of harvest.
Brief information is presented in the video:
Among the positive qualities of Roma tomatoes are:
- Low maintenance requirements.
- A long period of fruiting, sometimes even until the first frost.
- Good immune system.
- Small size bushes.
- Excellent yield.
- High transportability.
The only disadvantage is vulnerability to high humidity; you need to be careful with this so as not to lose the harvest. A visual description of the Roma tomato is presented in the photo:
Landing rules
Reviews and descriptions of the Roma tomato indicate the need to plant it in places where other crops grew, for example, cucumbers or zucchini.
The whole process of growing seedlings consists of simple rules:
- To prepare the substrate, you must use several components: soil from the forest or garden, sand, humus, and ash.
- If you don’t have time to prepare the substrate, it can be replaced with universal mixtures that are sold in stores. They can be used for growing any crop.In addition, you can buy soil exclusively for tomatoes; it is also suitable for the Roma variety.
- When preparing the substrate yourself, it must undergo heat treatment. It is necessary to place the composition in the oven and calcinate it or simply pour in hot potassium permanganate.
- After preparing the soil and getting rid of harmful bacteria in it, the containers for planting seeds are filled. The container must have special holes for drainage.
- The soil needs to be watered and compacted a little.
- In the prepared container with soil, a depression is made, approximately 1.5 cm, and the distance between them is about 5 cm.
- Rum seeds are placed in the grooves. You can use a separate container for each seed.
To obtain ideal, strong seedlings, you need to treat the seeds before sowing. According to reviews of tomato Roma, one of two methods is selected for the procedure:
- Heat treatment of seed material for 20 minutes at 50 degrees. Immediately after this, the raw materials must be cooled in water and then left for 24 hours in a product based on Epin, although it can be replaced with other solutions that stimulate growth.
- Etching with potassium permanganate (1%) for half an hour. Next, the seeds are soaked in a solution of “Epin” or “Cicron”.
To treat Roma seeds, many farmers advise using the following solutions:
- Ideal.
- Epin.
- Stimulus.
It should be noted that Roma tomatoes from many manufacturers have already been processed; such information is indicated on the packaging of the seed.
Although the Roma tomato variety is considered determinate, a lot of attention needs to be paid to the soil. It is ideal to use fertile and light soils for planting. Before planting seedlings, you need to make holes with the same height as the root system.
Seedlings should be planted at right angles if they are strong but small. In case of planting overgrown plants, the ideal angle would be 45 degrees. The Roma variety should be formed into one stem, and per 1 sq. m. of land is enough for 6-8 bushes. If 2-3 stems are formed, then the number of bushes per square must be reduced.
Looking through photos of Roma tomatoes and reading reviews, chefs recommend using them for drying.
Care
The description of the Roma tomato variety is simple and care is also simple. It is best to grow in greenhouses if the climate is unstable or in open ground when planting in the southern regions. Care includes several basic rules:
- Tomato Roma F1 loves proper pinching, which is carried out on time. Thus, the formation of bushes with 1-3 stems begins.
- It is necessary to water the plant 2 times a week, taking into account the weather and the growth period. For a Roma tomato you need about 3 liters of water per bush.
- The bushes will not refuse to be irrigated with water, but you only need to use warm liquid.
- Watering is carried out only at the root of the plant.
- For the first feeding, you need to use a solution made from 500 ml of liquid mullein, 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska. 10 liters of water are added to the resulting mixture, and 500 ml of the finished mixture is enough for one bush.
- For the second feeding, use 500 ml of chicken manure, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 1 tsp. potassium sulfate. 10 liters of water are added to the mixture and each bush is watered with 500 ml of solution.
- The last feeding is created from 1 tbsp. l. potassium humate and 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska. A similar amount of water is added, and watering is also carried out by analogy with the first fertilizers.
Additionally, permanent removal will be required. weed, loosen the soil, and also use preventive measures to eliminate diseases and pests.
Collection and storage
For long-term storage, it is recommended to pick the fruits when they just begin to turn red or have a brown tint. After this, you can put them in the sun to ripen. In a couple of weeks they will be fully ripe, and the taste is no different from ripening on the bushes.
If cold weather sets in, the temperature drops to +5 degrees, then you also need to collect all the tomatoes, and then remove the bushes. Roma tomatoes are harvested in August, and the exact time depends on the weather and the time of planting the seedlings.
It is better to store tomatoes in wooden boxes; the fruits themselves should not have damage, rot or other defects. Storage is carried out in a cellar or a well-ventilated place, then Roma will last for 2-3 months.
Reviews
Conclusion
After studying the description and photo of the Roma tomato variety, we can draw some conclusions. This species is well suited for the greenhouse growing method and for open ground. Most of the reviews about the Roma variety are positive. The collected fruits are suitable for fresh use, for preparations and various culinary dishes. Tomatoes are well suited for canning, pickling, freezing and drying. This is characterized by the small size of the tomatoes.
Many people note a positive feature that the Roma variety does not require serious self-care. Using standard growing and care rules, each gardener will be able to get about 5-7 kg of fruits per 1 square meter. m.
