Roma tomatoes are a popular variety of paste tomato. Their dense, meaty flesh, low moisture content, and few seeds make them ideal for sauces and pastes.
Roma tomatoes grow to about 3 inches long in a cylindrical shape. They can vary in color ranging from deep red to pink and orange.
The Roma tomato plant grows in a compact bush, and when tended well, can produce a massive yield. This is one of the reasons it’s an excellent choice for a home garden.
Common varieties the Roma tomato include:
- Plum Regal: a fleshy, flavorful, dark red variety of Roma tomato with immunity to blight disease.
- Sunrise Sauce: a variety popular for its sweet flavor, ideal for making sauces and pastes.
- Heinz: the best-known paste tomato variety. It produces large, flavorful tomatoes, rich in lycopene.
- Martino’s Roma: these produce dark red, pear-shaped tomatoes with high yields and excellent blight resistance.
Here’s everything you need to know about growing Roma tomatoes.
Are Roma Tomatoes Bush or Vine Tomatoes?
The Roma tomato is determinate, which means it grows in a bush to a predetermined height.
Consider the following comparison between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes:
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How to Grow Roma Tomatoes
How to Grow Roma Tomatoes from Seed
When growing Roma tomatoes, you can start them from seeds, or buy seedlings from your local nursery.
Roma tomato plants require a long growing season. They are best started indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date.
For best results, sow the seeds about ½ deep in a moist, well-drained starting mix, at about 65℉ – 90℉.
Place the seedlings next to a south-facing window or use artificial lights. Without adequate light, the seedling stems will elongate and lean over.
Thin out the seedling after true leaves appear, and continue growing them in the mix two inches apart.
When the seedlings get to 5 inches tall and are between 6 to 8 weeks old, you can start hardening them.
Hardening Off Your Roma Tomato Plants
Hardening refers to the process of gradually exposing seedling to outdoor conditions. Do this from mid to late April before transplanting to containers or the garden.
To harden off your tomato seedlings, place them outside in the shade for a few hours daily. Slowly increase their time outside and introduce them to direct sunlight.
On sunny, breezy days, keep an eye on the seedlings to prevent wilting, or wind damage. And when the weather is too harsh, use a windbreak, or place the seedlings next to an open window instead.
After a week of doing this, your seedlings will be hardy enough to transplant.
Do NOT harden off your Roma seedlings by exposing them to the cold. This can stress the plants and cause stunted growth.
Growing Roma Tomatoes in Pots
When growing tomatoes in containers, use material pots. These allow for better drainage and root aeration.
If you don’t have access to material pots, you can use traditional planters with plenty of holes in the bottom. Use containers with a minimum depth of 14 to 16 inches and 20 to 24 inches in diameter.
Use a loose potting mix with organic material such as perlite, vermiculite, or coco coir.
For potted Roma tomatoes, install the stakes or cage before planting. These will encourage vertical growth and support the plant when it starts fruiting.
Place the pots where your plants will get between 6 to 8 hours of sunlight and don’t forget to water them regularly.
Transplanting Roma Seedlings
Only transplant the seedlings after the last frost. And when night temperatures no longer drop below 50℉.
When selecting seedlings for transplanting, look for short, sturdy, dark green plants. Avoid tall, leggy, or yellowish seedlings and those that have started flowering.
Mature seedlings will stall after transplanting while younger seedlings thrive.
Here are the steps you need to follow when transplanting your seedlings:
- Water the plants well before transplanting.
- Install the plant supports, i.e: stakes, tomato cages, trellises, etc.
- Pinch off a few of the lower branches.
- Plant the root ball such that the lower leaves are just above the surface.
- Space the seedlings between 14 and 20 inches for optimal growth
- Firm the soil around the base and water to establish good root-soil contact.
TIP: To ensure healthy transplants, plant the seedlings such that part of the stem is below the soil. Tomato stems can sprout new roots when buried.
Caring for Your Roma Tomatoes
Roma tomato plants need the same conditions as any other tomato. That is:
- Soil: warm, well-drained, soil rich in organic content. They can tolerate slightly acidic soil but will be most productive at pH levels between 6.0 and 6.5.
- Sun: The Roma tomato requires full sun for maximum productivity. Ensure your tomatoes get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
- Temperature: Roma tomatoes grow best between 55℉ and 90℉. Don’t start your tomatoes too early in the season, they are highly susceptible to frost.
- Water: Growing Roma tomatoes need plenty of water, especially when fruiting. Inconsistent or inadequate water may lead to split tomatoes.
But be careful not to overwater your tomatoes, especially in colder climates. - Fertilizer: Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Incorporate a balanced, slow-releasing fertilizer when planting. You can also add in some compost or manure throughout the season.
Alternatively, you can use a liquid fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks. But avoid high nitrogen fertilizers. They encourage foliage growth but affect fruit quality in tomato Roma.
Also, don’t use any fertilizers containing weed killers. They may end up killing your tomatoes as well. - Pruning: Since Roma tomatoes are a bush variety, they don’t need pruning. Instead, you should trim around the plant to get rid of any unwanted or damaged parts. But remember, too much trimming can lead to reduced yields.
- Weeding: Cultivate lightly with a garden hoe or spade to get rid of young weed before they become a problem. Be sure to dig just deep enough to cut off the weeds below the soil surface. But not so deep you damage your tomatoes’ roots.
You can also mulch with herbicide-free grass clippings or straw. Mulch helps reduce weed growth and also promotes moisture retention in the soil.
Harvesting Roma Tomatoes
Your tomatoes will be ready to harvest in about 70 to 80 days after planting. Because Roma tomato is a determinate plant, all its fruits will ripen at about the same time. This is a big advantage, especially if you’re making sauces. That’s why they make such great paste tomatoes.
But if you just want to eat the fruit, the Roma tomato is very tasty eaten raw.
Harvest your Roma tomatoes when the fruit is firm and evenly colored. If the temperature reaches 90℉, it’s best to pick the fruits and ripen them indoors at about 70℉.
Romas won’t survive a frost. If frost is predicted, bring in the unripe fruits and ripen them in paper bags at 60℉ or so.
Roma Tomatoes Pest and Diseases
When you think of Roma tomatoes, you imagine that they are an old heirloom that came over from some village in Italy years ago. But in truth, Roma tomatoes were developed as crossbred hybrids back in 1955.
The Roma tomato plant was bred to be resistant to Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt. The very first USDA cultivar, which is still commonly sold, is named Roma VF for that reason.
That said, the most common tomato pests and diseases are:
- Tomato Hornworms: These are large green caterpillars that camouflage themselves along the stems of tomato plants.
They feed on the leaves and fruits and can cause significant damage if left unchecked.
The best method for controlling hornworms is to pick them off the plant – if you can find them!
- Late Blight: This is a fungal disease that can strike at any time. It causes moldy grey spots on the leaves and fruits, which later turn brown.
Late blight spreads and thrives in persistently damp conditions and can overwinter. So be sure to destroy all afflicted plants.
- Blossom End Rot: This is characterized by a water-soaked area at the blossom end of the fruit. It’s caused by a calcium deficiency in the fruit and fluctuations in soil moisture content.
To help avoid blossom end rot with the Roma tomato (and many other varieties of tomato plants too.) Don’t plant your tomatoes until the soil has warmed up, and keep the soil evenly moist.
In addition to these, your plants might also be susceptible to insects such as Aphids, and White Flies.
To maximize fruit productivity and reduce insect and disease problems, select varieties that grow well in your area.
Your local nursery or Cooperative Extension can give you that information.
Growing Roma tomatoes, or indeed any crop in your home garden can be a challenge without the right information.
Thankfully, you can visit Gardening Channel, to get free access to all the information you need. Here, you also get tips and advice from experienced gardeners to help you unlock your full green thumb potential!
Is there anything I can do to help my Romas turn red, now that the temperature is up to high nineties? Should I pick everything that looks full-sized and just ripen them indoors? I understand about the lycopene and carotene not developing in high temps, but is the fruit still going to be nice? Thanks, Dolly in Grand Prairie
We had a AWESOME Roma tomato garden last Spring and Summer. The fruit was SO plentiful, that often while harvesting nicely red Romas, there would be a couple that fell off that were still greenish to yellowish in color. I washed them all, placed the red ones in a serving bowl (lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess water) ~ then, place the not ripe yet tomatoes in a paper towel lined spoon rest in the kitchen window. Within a couple days, they would be ready to move into the “read to eat” servicing dish.
@Leila
There’s nothing better than when you get a really good season out of your tomato plants! Thanks for the comment.
I live in a “colder” outlying part of Phoenix. Last frost is late March and first 100 degree day is late April. This leaves for a very short growing season. I start the plants early January and they are large in 1 gal pots by planting time. Not to root bound. I usually plant about 40 plants so keeping them in large pots is really not an option. I have built a large frame that I place 30% shade cloth over to lightly shade the plants. I do this when I first start to see the tomatoes sun scald, usually early May. Since nights can be in low 60’s even if days are near 100, tomatoes continue to set well into early June. By late June there are no more new tomatoes and those that have set are starting to turn red. Day time temperatures are now in the 110 – 115 range. I am picking tomatoes as fast as I can. With the shade cloth the plants are starting to heat stress by end of day but early the next day they revive. Sunrise temperatures are in mid to upper 80’s. With in a week I have usually picked most tomatoes averaging about 70 per plant and picking nearly 3,000 tomatoes (Romas are small and with the heat they ripen on the small side). With out the shade cloth the plants and tomatoes burn up in early June. Romas will grow in temperatures over 100, they just need shade. The 75% shade cloth commonly found at Home Depot is to much shade and plants will not produce well.
This is very helpful. I live in Tucson and struggle with my tomatoes. Thank you for posting this. Which shade cloth do you use if the Home Depot one is too much shade?
-Jenny
Hello, I have roma tomoato plants that are not flowering or producing fruit. What is wrong? is it the soil? theyhave been in a pot for over a month and have grown taller but nothing else.
Hello it has been very hot in Denver this year and my Romas have taken forever to turn red. When they finally did that became red and green blotchy. It looks very strange. Also some of the none ripe ones are have nubbins growing off of them. Is these plant ok to keep growing? or does it have a disease? if you need picutres I can post them. Please help thanks!
Sorry, forgot to mention that the Roma tomatoes were growing from my flower planter, right off the back porch, in S.E. Ohio. We actually had to put screens at the edge of the planter to keep our plants from vineing into the yard……AND, the vines over took one side of the back porch (making harvest extremely easy). They grow in bunches of 5-8 per bunch. 🙂 They are delicious and will be grown in the flower planter again this year!
Leila…..”Tri-State area of Ohio/KY/WV.
I’m growing roma tomatoes. I have 2 plants in a large pot. Please help me with suggestions on how to grow them properly.
@James
Make sure that you really have enough room in a single pot for two tomato plants. Tomato plants need a lot of space, so one pot doesn’t seem realistic to me.
You can read more about how much space here:
http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/tomatoes/
http://www.chiff.com/a/garden-tomato.htm
Other than that, you’ll want full, direct sunlight for at least 6 hours and hopefully a lot more.
Tomatoes are of the night shade family and require lots of water and fertilizer. Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant are in the night shade family also. They are originally a tropical plant and like lots of sun. Although they like shade if it gets too hot. Tomatoes love calcium. Organic eggshells will do the trick.
Feed your plants and they will love you.
Mine seem to love compost tea.
When my Romas are starting to turn pink, the bottoms are all mushy . It is like they have some form of blight. The mush eventually eats away the inside, from the bottom of the tomato up. I pick them off so I don’t know how far it would progress if left on the vine. So far I have only got 2 good ones. I live northwest of Houston Texas
Your tomatoes have end rot. That’s a lack of calcium. Provide a good calcium fertilizer and it should clear up.
Good luck
Why do the leaves of Roma tomato plants stand straight up instead of the normal arch where the tips point downward? This looks very strange. The plants are green, healthy and setting on but the whole leaf stem from the plant outward turn straight up to the sky!
When I harvested my roma tomatoes; the water content was low and unacceptable. What would cause this?
Will try more Romas for canning this year.
Some of my Roma tomatoes have sections? What is the cause?
I’m in MN. When my Roma tomatoes start turning red they have a dry rot on the bottom
How can I prevent this from happening. They are growing in compost soil.
Your soil either lacks calcium or they don’t like the way you are watering them. Calcium deficient soil will cause bottom rot. You can get a calcium fortified fertilizer or at the beginning of next season put egg shells in your soil. Water with a trickle system (slow flow directly at the base of the plant for at least an hour) and only about once per week. I live in Oklahoma and was watering everyday when I started about 5 years ago and all my plants got bottom rot.
I have a single roma plant that seems to be doing fairly well. Since I didn’t know anything about the romas, as it started to grow outside (not in a pot) I built a string cage for it. I am wondering if they should be given more room to expand? There seems to be plenty of fruit, but they still seem to be green. It may not be quite time to pick them yet, as I was not aware of the time frame. I got the plant as a gift, and had not planned on having a garden this year. It has plenty of sun and regular water from a watering system in the garden. This is in a suburb of Denver, about 30 miles North.
Should I remove the “cage” and try to let them expand on a trellis or leave them as they are?
my roma plants are growing in my hydroponic’s green house, hundreds of them per plant, all mine are cherry toms, its running at cf 28 seems ok.
Roma tomatoes do vine, and will climb a trellis. Mine were quite happy climbing a TP trellis last year. They are not quite as rambunctious as indeterminate tomatoes such as Delicious or Beefsteak tho.
I have about twenty little green tomatoes on one plant. It’s my first year trying it. I’m very excited, but am having a problem with bottom rot on three of the largest tomatoes. Should I add calcium treated soil or egg shells? Can we still eat them? This is the first time I have sent a comment on this subject.
Thank You, Suzanne Barrett
I have about twenty little green tomatoes on one plant. It’s my first year trying it. I’m very excited, but am having a problem with bottom rot on three of the largest tomatoes. Should I add calcium treated soil or egg shells? Can we still eat them? This is the first time I have sent a comment on this subject.
Thank You, Suzanne Barrett
This is my first try with Roma as well and they also have bottom rot. I cut one open and the rot was all inside. Bad tomato. Now I pick those off as soon as I see them. I’m growing organic and it was too late to use egg shells since they take so long to break down. I read that milk would work so I’ve been using powdered milk, 2 envelopes in half gallon of water and pour it right at the base of each plant (I have 2). Have been doing this every other day for 3 weeks. The rot is on fewer tomatoes now so it seems to be working. If i grow these again, I’ll use egg shells in the soil first thing! Oh, i also fertilize weekly with an organic liquid veg fertilizer. Hope this helps. May you be Blessed with a bountiful harvest!
Hi,
I am growing three different types of Roma tomatoes in a raised bed garden. About three weeks ago, I was dealing with blossom end rot, I did research and added calcium. It helped! But I have notice the blossom end rot returned but is only affecting one tomato plant and its pretty bad. What should I do? Should I removed the plant?
Thank you!
Hello! This is my first year growing Romas. I know that they are a determinate tomato, and I just recently picked my last tomato. But has started to grow new leaves and flowers? I thought it only did one growth and then died? Is this normal?
The inside of our Roma tomatoes green and red have bumps on the inside of the skin. I’ve never seen this before. Are they okay to eat and can? All of them have this. We have so many. I hope you can help. I’d hate to throw all away. The soil was treated before being planted.
Thank you.
Our Roma’s have bumps on the inside of the skins. Are inside both green and red tomatoes ? is this safe to eat and can? Have never seen this before. Strange looking. Please help.
Thank you!
How much delateralling do Roma require?
I started my Roma grow from slices of Roma tomatoes. So far so good. I do have way too many plants that are fruiting right now. First time grower and I did not separate them. Holding thumbs
They look great so far
I just planted slices as well and your post makes me hopeful! Glad to see another having success!
I’m curious if anyone has had any luck cloning a Roma tomato plant.
My Romas are in pots, its Summer here in Australia. They are massive and have lots of leaves, but not much fruit? Is it still coming or have I done something wrong? Its my first time and I grew them by seed. Also I noticed one is browning at the base and some bottom leaves. I have no idea what to do. Any ideas? I have been shaking them.
Hi Brooke, I wonder how your tomato harvest it going. Typically, if you have an abundance of leaves but little fruit, then your fertilizer is too high in nitrogen, with not enough phosphorous and potassium. Look for something that has 3-6-6, or 6-12-6.
If you do have flowering, tapping or shaking the flower stalks is a great idea to promote pollination.
The browning of the bottom leaves is typical and you should just pick them off to avoid them harboring disease.