Tomato 'Speckled Roman'

Started from purchased seeds. I have this growing in 3 different situations. I am pleased overall with the plant and the fruit. Though as...Read More others have noted, I have problems with Blossom End rot....but only in one location.

-- Large fruits average 6" long in all of my growing situations.
-- Flesh is "dry" insofar as it does not seem to have the water content of other tomatoes. Seed cavity is small and flesh is very thick.
-- Dark red fleshy interior. Stunning yellow/red mottled exterior.
-- Flavor is balanced well between classic tomatoey and rich, dusky, light sweet.

1) Planted in ground June 1. Sandy loam. Supported by tomato cage. Plant is spindly, sunburned and not very attractive. Fruit set is moderate to heavy. Fruits become sunburned also. No blossom-end problems.

2) Planted 5 specimens June 14. In a low-sided 10g pot. Bark-mix soil with 1c. worm castings. Once a week application of organic fertilizer and nutrients. Once a week application of 150ppm 20-20-20. CalMag foliar spray on 8-15. Plant is twined up a string that runs to a greenhouse bow 8' overhead. Plants are full, green, attractive. Fruits are just coming on. Moderate fruit set so far.

3) Planted in ground May 18. Loamy soil with lots of compost in the city. Supported by being tied to bamboo poles. Plants are healthy and full. Fruits are large and set heavily. Have lost almost all of them to blossom-end rot.

Tastes good, decent production, some blossom end rot but not too much. After growing again a couple of times this is one of my top "past...Read Moree" tomatoes, along with Opalka.

I tried this along with 10 other heirloom tomatoes, all started from seed. Latest to develop. I had problems with blossom end rot with th...Read Moreis tomato only. You must make sure this plant NEVER gets dry and has a supply of calcium. Very spindly growth habit and must have support of some kind. Not very attractive foliage for a tomato. The fruit was meaty, thick skinned, and tasty. It was susceptible to powdery mildew in my garden while other heirlooms were fine and I had to cut it down before it gave me any more than 6 tomatoes. This coupled with the blossom end rot, I will opt for other varieties next year. The fruit is beautiful and unique so I can see it's appeal but it did not thrive in my area.

Speckled Roman is an excellent heirloom variety of tomato. It has beautiful fruit, and produces a lot of sauce for the number of tomato...Read Morees needed. I have had problems compared to my other tomatoes with this variety having blossom end rot. Even when my other tomatoes are fine, this one will usually have a number of fruit that turn black at the end and rot on the vine.
Otherwise the fruit is beautiful and they taste great.

I was expecting Speckled Roman to be a typical bland tasting paste tomato but was pleasantly surprised. It is both pretty (with the wavy ...Read Morestripes) and flavorful. It is perfectly fine for fresh eating in addtion to canning/sauce. The plant is compact, didn't have problems with disease, and is moderately productive.

I was impressed by this paste tomato. The color is what first "wows" you. It is a nice deep red with orange stripes. Good size for a pa...Read Moreste tomato with lots of meat. Great flavor with good disease resistance for the plant. One that I will continue to grow every year.

This is a very attractive tomato, with the gold speckling adorning the orange-red body. I generally agree with the conventional wisdom th...Read Moreat paste tomatoes do not have flavor comparable to good heirloom slicing tomatoes, and I'd put "Speckled Roman" in the "good but not great" category for taste when eaten fresh. It does share the trait with other paste/Roma tomatoes that has made them popular: ease of processing when making sauce due to the shape, lack of core, etc. I enjoy cooking with them. I've not grown many Romas, so I don't have much to compare with in terms of productivity. The plants have already produced a decent number of healthy, meaty tomatoes and many more appear to be on the way. They sure look great sitting on the counter (but they don't stay there long when the sauce pan beckons).

This is just an additional note to point out that "Speckled Roman" is not a bicolor tomato. The color pattern is confined to the exterior of the fruit.

Meaty with that great tomato taste and is ideal for processing. It is very productive and has few seeds. It still throws an occasional yellow fruit.

A beautiful Tomato that has a great taste. I only had one plant this year and it was not quite as prolific as I thought it should be. Nex...Read Moret year I plan to have five or six, and I plan to put them in a better spot.
Definetly worth a second try.

This is a great tasting salad tomato. As compared to a roma it has more taste. I will grow it again next year. However one plant died ...Read Morecompletely before any other even showed signs of V or F wilt (I grow about 20 total). Though the other one (I planted 2) seems normal.

A large meaty paste type that is packed with flavor. The red and yellow/orange stripes (think flames on a 50's muscle car) are a real st...Read Moreand out at market. This has become our favorite for canning!

Said to be a cross between Antique Roman and Banana Legs by John Swenson. It is a 4-5 ounce carrot shaped groing about 5 inches long.

".....cross between Banana Legs and Antique Roman. Red with bright gold striping."