subject: How To Grow Roma Tomatoes [print this page] How To Grow Roma Tomatoes How To Grow Roma Tomatoes
Tomatoes are occasionally referred to both as a fruit and as a vegetable. They are arguably the easiest plant to grow though judging from the long faces of some amateur gardeners you wouldn't say so.
Roma tomatoes come from the family known as the Roma. They are less juicy and have a mild taste compared to it's cousins. These features make them ideal for making sauces, ketchups and also pastes. They alternately referred to as a paste tomato.
Their journey starts as a seed and for them to achieve germination you have to have fertilizer, soil rich in nutrients, a shovel for digging. Growing them from seeds can be a tough task for new gardeners, so to help you avoid this; you can acquire them at the seedling stage where somebody else has undergone the trouble of ensuring that they germinate.
For those with the technical know how on how to deal with them at the seed stage, should plant me in a tray with potting compost that is nutrient rich.
Roma tomatoes love abundant sunlight so you should place the seedlings on a windowsill with enough exposure to the sun's rays. In case you live in a cold area, you can alternatively grow them in a green house, where the temperatures can be controlled.
Remember that they need regular fertilizing and watering since without these basic provisions the seedlings would not survive.
As indicated earlier, amateur tomato growers may have a difficult time trying to grow Roma tomatoes from seeds. Not to worry, you can buy them in the form of starts from a nursery. In this stage of their growth and development, they are much easier to handle since they have already germinated and started sprouting leaves.
Remember that Roma tomatoes like most tomatoes do not thrive in cold temperatures and so they need to be transplanted once frost is over and the weather is warmer .
Exposure to frost could have fatal consequences for the tomato plant.
Roma tomatoes also have to be transplanted deeply in the ground where the two bottom leaves are buried beneath the rich soil. This helps the seedlings develop strong roots and become sturdier and able to support whatever number of fruits they bear.
A compost and fertilizer mix would ensure that proper nutrition for the plants and this in turn makes them yield better and healthier fruit.
Once you have transplanted the seedlings do not stop watering them, I need water on a daily basis in a hot climate though in cooler places the frequency of watering can be a tad lower.
Roma tomatoes are susceptible to attacks from pests, so please preempt this by spraying them in organic pesticides as this will keep them free from pests.
Ensure that you harvest the fruit that have a deep red color as this indicates they have ripened. In case you have fruit lying on the ground please pick them up as contact with the soil may accelerate decomposing.
If you follow all this steps, you will be a happy tomato gardener once harvest time gets here as you will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest.
