Cherry roma tomatoes – a successful crop in a disappointing tomato season

By David Ashton

 Looking around the community garden this summer I’ve seen that like most years, gardeners have had varied success with tomatoes. There have obviously been some good crops – but not in plot 3, the plot operated by Micky and me.

 Back in November I planted three tomatoes, one of which proved to be a dwarf which grew to about 30cm in height, when it was supposed to be a grosse lisse reaching 1.5m. It produced a disappointing number of small tomatoes.

Another plant at the back of the plot was almost smothered by the runners of two pumpkin plants. The runners put the tomato under great pressure and threatened to overrun it completely, not to mention neighbouring plots, but neither runner produced a single male or female pumpkin flower. Meanwhile the tomato didn’t take kindly to the attempted smothering.

In slight despair I pulled out the unproductive pumpkin plants, and planted a 30cm seedling tomato from Bunnings, with the hope of finally getting at least a few nice big tomatoes. This remains to be hoped for.

But when it comes to tomatoes in plot 3, all has not been lost. The third original tomato plant is a cherry roma. Growing to a height of about 1.7m, it has produced thousands – certainly well over 1000 anyway – of delicious, plum-shaped, small cherry roma tomatoes.

At the time of writing the plant was continuing to produce a sandwich bagful of tomatoes on every garden visit, even though for weeks it has seemed to be on its last legs. The small, very sweet tomatoes have ended up in casseroles, in salads, and as a side vegetable. The grandkids love them.

As I write this, we’re still picking them. The cherry romas have been a saving grace in a season of disappointment for us as tomato growers. The photo shows one picking of cherry romas.