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Speckled Roman/Striped Tomato Seeds - (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)

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SKU:
V1186
Seed Count:
Approx 25 seeds per pack
Days to Maturity:
75-85 days
Type:
Indeterminate
Size:
Plum
Color:
Red
Days to Germination:
5-7 days @ 75-95F
Light Preference:
Full sun
Plant Spacing:
12"
Status:
Heirloom, Non-Hybrid, Non-GMO seeds
  • Speckled Roman Tomato  - (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
  • Sliced Speckled Roman Tomato  - (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
  • Speckled Roman Tomato  - (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$3.35

Ships 1-3 Business Days  U.S. Shipping Only

Description

Speckled Roman/Striped Tomato

Gorgeous, medium sized, oblong orange red fruits with wavy, yellow stripes and excellent flavor. Looks like a novelty tomato, yet offers serious flavor, production and color. Adds interest to any dish with its vibrant color and stripes.

Very crack resistant. Heavy production until frost.

This is an exceptional variety, probably the best salad tomato around. The excellent flavor, sweetness and good firm yet meaty texture make this ideal for creating sauces too. Makes a wonderfully unique dark red, very rich sauce with fruity overtones!

The breeder of this tomato is John Swenson, a marvelous seedsman. Speckled Roman was a fortuitous cross, in John's garden, of Antique Roman and Banana Legs, and the plants have the distinct nipple of the latter. He stabilized the cross, and the rest is history - and gardening pleasure.

History

Tomatoes were grown as a crop in Mexico and Peru in pre-Columbian times, but the early history of domestication is not well known (most likely in Mexico). In Europe, tomatoes were grown as ornamentals (thought to be poisonous) and became popular as a food only in the 18th century.

Uses

Raw or cooked the tomato is one of the most widely used and versatile foods from your garden. Use fresh in salads, sandwiches, and salsas. Cooked in sauces and stews. Can be stuffed, dried, puree, paste or powdered. The uses are endless!

Growing Tip

Tomatoes take about 3 - 4 months from direct seeding in the garden to start producing fruit; about 70 days from transplanting 6 - 8 week-old plants to start fruiting; and about 40-50 days from the flower opening to producing ripe fruit.  

Tomatoes suffer more transplant shock than other vegetables, but you can minimize this by hardening them off for a week or two first. This means setting them outdoors in their pots in a protected place so that they get some warm sun, a little gentle wind, and even some cool (not freezing) nights. This will help them adjust to some of the stresses of real life before having their roots transplanted into the ground. 

Tomatoes begin the ripening process by producing ethylene, a natural growth regulator, and releasing it. The fruit ripens from the inside out, meaning the center matures and turns red before the color reaches the outer skin. Faint white lines crossing each other at the bottom or blossom end of the fruit show that ripening has begun. Soon afterward, the blossom end starts turning pink – indicating ethylene is being produced. When the pink blush reaches the stem, the fruit is about 75% ripe. The pink color deepens to red, starting from the blossom end and working its way upward. 

Harvest Tip

A tomato’s flavor increases as it ripens, due to the increased nutrients and sugars pumped into the fruit by the plant. For a home gardener, harvesting when there is just a touch of pink at the stem end or when the fruit is completely red gives the best flavor. The fruit will be fragile, won’t tolerate shipping and must be used or cooked within a few days to enjoy peak flavor.

Once the tomato is ripe, test by giving it a gentle pull or twist. If it slips easily from the vine – with little to no effort – it is ripe, juicy, and delicious!

Ripe tomatoes can be injured by cool temperatures and must be stored at room temperatures, never refrigerated to avoid chilling injury, which leaves pockmarks or pits on the skin leading to early rotting.

If you need to harvest early due to weather or the end of the season, those fruits with a pink blush at the blossom end will ripen with almost full flavor. Those with the faint white lines can still ripen but won’t have the full flavor.  

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5 Reviews

  • 5

    Speckled Tomato is a Winning Choice

    Posted by Janette Denil, WI on Jul 17, 2017

    The Striped/Speckled Roman Tomato is a great variety and a winning choice for growers who want medium-sized fruits with great flavor. Their Roma-like shape and flavor is highly a-peeling because they are extremely easy to peel. They have more flesh, fewer seeds and less juice, which makes them great for salsas and other recipes that are enhanced with fresh tomatoes. The striped skins are eye-catching and very attractive for any garden. These tomatoes are easy to grow.

  • 5

    1 word

    Posted by John Kijak on Jul 17, 2017

    OUTSTANDING !!!!!! Flavor and taste, out of 6 different types, this was the VERY best

  • 4

    Absolutely Delish!

    Posted by Mary Anne on Jul 17, 2017

    Heavy performer, beautiful fruit! It made fantastic bruschetta. I didn't give it five stars because it is not very disease resistant - the plants lower leaves all wilted. Didn't seem to affect performance, however.

  • 5

    My best plum-type this year

    Posted by Beverly Finn, IL on Jul 17, 2017

    In the past, I have grown striped Roman, and I found this variety to be much the same. Great producer, excellent skin that did not crack but some were affected in my garden by some type of small black spots which I just cut off. Solid inside, and excellent taste and color. A keeper.

  • 5

    SOOOO GOOOD !!

    Posted by Jennifer on Jul 17, 2017

    These are really really good tomatoes love them!!

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