No. 025 · open-pollinated
Speckled Roman
Speckled Roman is an indeterminate open-pollinated paste tomato with bright red fruit. It ripens in about 81 days.
Flavor
Described as having excellent flavor, dense and meaty enough to cook quickly into sauce yet good enough to eat fresh. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
Open-pollinated paste tomato developed by Seed Savers Exchange member John Swenson, reported as a cross between Antique Roman and Banana Legs.
What it does well
- Striking red fruit streaked with golden orange
- Meaty low-juice flesh that cooks down fast into sauce
- Flavor good enough for fresh eating as well as processing
Where it frustrates
- Indeterminate vines need staking, trellising, or caging
- Elongated plum fruit can be slow to ripen in cool seasons
- Distinctive striping varies with growing conditions
Growing it
- Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- Late to ripen, past 80 days, so it wants a long warm season or a head start indoors.
- A moderate grow, no special tricks but worth steady attention.
- Wants real summer warmth and is slow to set when nights stay cool.
Disease resistance
An open-pollinated variety, sold without formal disease-resistance codes.
Why no hardiness zone?
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals, so variety choice comes down to days to maturity and your local frost dates.
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Where to buy seed
Related reading
Common questions
- Is Speckled Roman determinate or indeterminate?
- Speckled Roman is an indeterminate variety. Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- How long does Speckled Roman take to ripen?
- Speckled Roman ripens in about 81 days from transplant. Late to ripen, past 80 days, so it wants a long warm season or a head start indoors.
- Is Speckled Roman an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Speckled Roman is open-pollinated, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Speckled Roman?
- A close swap is San Marzano, but San Marzano is solid red without the orange striping.
Sources
- Speckled Roman Organic Tomato Seed · Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Speckled Roman Tomato (81 Days) · Pinetree Garden Seeds
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