Roma Tomato Plant Care

Roma tomatoes are sometimes called "paste" or "plum" tomatoes because they are typically used for Italian tomato sauces, and they are smaller and more plum-shaped than other tomatoes. Great for canning, drying, making all types of sauces, and even sliced in salads and sandwiches, Romas are meatier and have less juice than their larger cousins, such as Beefsteak tomatoes.

Several varieties of Roma tomatoes are available, including:

San Marzano: Grown in Italy since the 1770s, this Roma tomato is a favorite of chefs and foodies worldwide for its deep red color and dense, meaty, bittersweet fruit.

Plum Dandy: This hybrid produces large quantities of sweet, firm, red plum-shaped fruit on indeterminate vines. They are resistant to early blight, which can attack other tomatoes.

Amish Paste: Top-ranking paste tomato in a Pennsylvania State University trial for size and superior taste.

Striped Roma: Rated high in the Penn State trials, Striped Roma sports a striped skin with blood-red interior.  

Cassidy’s Folly: Penn State gave this one high marks for its high production and excellent taste.  

Smaller tomatoes typically ripen faster than larger tomatoes, so Romas are quick to ripen. This makes them a good choice for areas that are plagued by fruit flies, which can be a pest on tomatoes that need a long time to ripen on the vine. Roma varieties are also resistant to high heat, so they produce good harvests in places such as Florida and California’s Central Valley, where daytime summer temperatures can often top 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because Roma tomatoes have thick skins, they work well for canning and drying because the thick skin helps them to stay in one piece. Thick skins also make peeling easier. An added benefit is that some insect pests just cannot chew through the thicker skins of Roma tomatoes.

Begin with strong, healthy-looking seedling plants from a reputable source. Wait until your final spring frost has passed.

Clear weeds from a sunny area where you plan to grow your tomatoes. Remove rocks and other obstructions. Allow about 2 feet by 2 feet for each plant. Roma tomatoes also succeed well in large pots; use good quality potting soil for container plantings.

Dig compost and other organic materials, such as dried leaves or grass clippings, into the soil. All tomatoes like plenty of root space, so double digging, to a depth of two shovelheads, will benefit your plants as they grow.

Dig holes large enough for the root balls. Leave 18 to 24 inches between each hole. When you remove seedling plants from their pots, gently loosen the dirt surrounding the roots to allow them to spread more quickly after planting.

Set each plant into its own hole and fill in with the soil you removed. Press down lightly.

Drive a stake or two into the soil approximately 8 to 12 inches from the stem. Wait until your tomato plant is larger before attaching your plants to stakes, hoops,  or another support system, to prevent damage to heavily burdened vines.

Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist until blossoms begin to form, but avoid getting the leaves wet. Reduce water after blossoms and fruit begin to form. Wait until the soil is dry and then flood the plant with plenty of water. In

very hot climates, you may need to water your tomatoes every day, but in

cooler areas, you might be able to water only once a week. Water deeply as soon as you notice wilting.7. Fertilize young plants with organic compost by combining compost with water to make a "tea," or simply spread compost on the soil surface surrounding your plants before watering. When plants begin to form flowers, switch to a lower-nitrogen fertilizer, such as a "blossom booster" type to encourage fruit production. To increase fruit production, fertilize every 10 days. 

Harvest your Roma tomatoes when they begin to turn red. Allow them to fully ripen indoors, in a shady spot, to keep them safe from birds and insects.  

Mulching to a depth of 3 to 4 inches benefits tomatoes, especially in hot climates.

Indeterminate varieties of Roma tomatoes can become quite tall and often spread wider than you might like. Pruning tops and side branches forces plants to become bushier and can help to make harvesting easier.

Use sharp garden clippers or scissors for pruning your tomatoes. To ensure that you do not introduce or spread any plant disease, first clean your tool by scraping off any dirt with a wire brush dipped in warm water. Then sterilize your tools. Using a solution containing 80 percent water and 20 percent Lysol or other o-phenyl-phenol disinfectant, soak your clippers for 10 to 30 minutes and rinse in clean water.

Prune suckers -- branches that arise from the axillary nodes between the main vine and a horizontal branch -- to encourage bushiness and fruit production. Snip suckers off cleanly, using your sterilized clippers or scissors.

Continue to prune suckers throughout the growing season to maximize fruit size and productivity .

All tomatoes are annuals, meaning they live just one growing season. When cold weather returns after summer, tomato plants will die. To extend your Roma tomato plant’s life when autumn approaches, protect your plants from frost in one of these ways:

Build a simple frame around your plant using

bamboo stakes or other narrow, lightweight wood. Drape a plastic sheet or

blanket over your plant at sunset, making certain the material does not touch

your plant. Remove the cover the following morning after the temperature rises

above 50 F.

Move potted Roma

tomato plants indoors before your first fall frost. Place them next to a

sunny window where they will continue to get plenty of light. 

Install floating row covers at the end of

summer. Secure clear plastic or special cloth -- sometimes called Remay -- over the

top of curved PVC piping or flexible wood stakes,

Place an individual plant cover over each tomato

plant. Covers made of polypropylene fabric are available at garden centers and

online.

Tomato Hornworm: The most common insect pest that can attack your Roma tomato is the tomato hornworm (_Manduca quinquemaculata_). These large worms are the larval stage of a moth and they can quickly chew holes in your ripening fruit and strip plants of foliage. Although hornworms can grow up to four inches long, they can be hard to spot because they are the same green color as your tomato plant. Look for black droppings below your plants or on the branches, and then look above the droppings to locate a hornworm. Check your Roma tomato plants twice each week. To rid your plants of hornworms, hand picking is effective. Wear gloves and pick each worm off your plant. Dispose of them in a jar of soapy water.

Preventing Diseases: A common disease of tomatoes is tobacco mosaic virus. After a plant becomes infected, this disease can cause it to become stunted, with malformed leaves and yellow spotting. Prevention is the best cure. Do not smoke tobacco near your Roma tomato plants and do not touch your plants after smoking until you have washed your hands. Even keeping tobacco in your pocket can introduce this disease. Other preventive measures include purchasing seedling plants that are bred to be free of this virus; controlling weeds in the vicinity of your plants; keeping the soil around your tomato plants free of plant debris; and discarding infected plants at your landfill, not in your compost pile.