La Roma IV Tomato

Start seeds indoors 6, 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix kept at 70, 75°F. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings emerge in 5, 10 days and should receive 14, 16 hours of bright light daily under grow lights positioned 2, 3 inches above the seedlings.

Harden off seedlings over 7, 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 60°F (ideally 65, 70°F). Space plants 24 inches apart with 36 inches between rows. Bury the transplant deep, burying the stem up to the first true leaves; tomatoes develop roots along buried stems, strengthening the plant.

La Roma IV fruits mature 70, 79 days after transplant. Pick tomatoes when they reach full color but still hold slight give when gently squeezed; paste tomatoes should be ripe but not soft. With the determinate growth habit, you'll notice most fruit ripening within a 2, 3 week window, making them convenient for harvesting all at once for preserving. Twist or clip fruit from the vine rather than yanking, which can damage branches.

Determinate tomatoes like La Roma IV require minimal pruning. Unlike indeterminate varieties, these compact plants are naturally self-limiting and concentrate their energy into a finite crop. Avoid aggressive pruning, which can expose fruit to sunscald. Remove only diseased or damaged leaves, and thin foliage lightly if thick canopy prevents air circulation, the goal is disease prevention, not shape.