About This Variety
Roma VF is the classic paste tomato — the workhorse behind homemade sauces, salsas, and sun-dried tomatoes everywhere. A determinate variety maturing in 75–80 days, it's a stabilized open-pollinated type (not a pure heirloom, but it breeds true from saved seed). The "VF" means it carries built-in resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, two of the most common tomato diseases.
How to Save Seeds
- Pick fully ripe or slightly overripe fruit from your healthiest, most vigorous plants.
- Cut the tomato horizontally and squeeze the seeds and gel into a clean jar.
- Add a splash of water and let the mixture ferment for 2–3 days. Stir daily — a layer of mold forming on top is normal and expected.
- When the viable seeds have sunk to the bottom, pour off the mold, pulp, and any floating seeds.
- Rinse the good seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer under running water.
- Spread seeds on a paper plate (NOT paper towels — seeds stick to them) and let dry for 5–7 days in a well-ventilated spot.
- Store dried seeds in a labeled envelope in a cool, dry place.
Pro Tip: Roma VF has built-in Verticillium and Fusarium resistance — that's what the "VF" stands for. Seeds you save will maintain this disease resistance, giving your next generation the same built-in protection.
Cross-Pollination
Tomatoes are self-pollinating — the flowers fertilize themselves before they even fully open. This means cross-pollination between tomato varieties is extremely rare (typically under 2–5% even when plants are side by side). No isolation cages, hand-pollination, or separation distance is needed.
No isolation needed: Roma VF can grow right next to your other tomato varieties with essentially zero cross-pollination risk. All five of your tomato varieties can be grown side by side and still produce true-to-type seeds.
