Roma tomatoes?

[akpackfan]

Do Roma tomatoes grow well in Alaska (Wasilla region)? What variety would be best? Do they need to be in a greenhouse?

[Alasgun]

I have no experience with Romas however i do grow Celebrities in a greenhouse with no additional lighting. This one plant produced at least 75 lbs of fruit this year, pickings like this happen 2-3 times a week and she lasted till mid November.

[Doug in Alaska]

Tomatoes love warmth, so of course, if you want a healthy crop, you need to take varieties that are resistant to cold. Greenhouses need phytolamps for better growth. You can order some of the ones offered here. In Alaska, there is less light, therefore it is better to provide high-quality lighting immediately.

I have heat and a discharge fan for cooling in my greenhouse. No need for phytolamps in a greenhouse up here. In Alaska, there is much more light in the summer months so I don't understand your statement. My tomatoes are top notch.

[iofthetaiga]

No need for phytolamps in a greenhouse up here. In Alaska, there is much more light in the summer months so I don't understand your statement.

Google "link promotion in forums" to gain an understanding of the statement in question. It's a spam advertising account. Same MO as in other forums (see below); the poster contrives a statement as a vehicle to insert an advertising link, and earns a couple rubles for each one. They're really pretty easy to pick out...you can predictably spot them as soon as they open an account, before they start posting links. I flag them all the time, but the mods seem slow/hesitant to nuke them outright.

:

[Doug in Alaska]

Got it, thanks.

[MRFISH]

I've grown tomatoes (usually early girls of some sort) in 5-gallon buckets outside and up against the south side of my house in Anchorage and they do grow and produce fruit very well, but it's always a struggle to get them to ripen as the threat of the first frost approaches. I usually only get a few that ripen on the plant. I probably harvest about 90% of them green and then ripen them inside. Once I tried bringing the plants inside in the fall to let them finish but bugs that were never a problem when they were outside really seemed to love it when they came into the warm house (wife said I can't do that again, lol).

[dbcooper]

The success of tomatoes here hinges on one thing: warm feet. tomatoes hate cold soils and will stop ripening the second the ground gets too cold for them. I had good luck with cherry tomatoes on black pots that soak up heat, and people with green houses have no problem keeping their soils warmer. Another thing that do horribly here for the same reason, basil and spinach.

On the other hand grow some cilantro, a single plant will grow five feet tall.

[mark o]

Roma does very well in a container in a greenhouse, I have also grown them in raised beds in a gh. In the container you can really pull in some amazing yields, and if you grow well the flavor can be exceptional. The best tomato is highly subjective to each taster and grower, it also depends on how we plan on consuming the tomato? Do we want paste tomatoes, salad types, slicers, or complex tomato taste, sweet tomato taste, etc, etc. Some grow outside, most just do ho-hum, and few that grow outside well in The Valley taste decent. Leave a touch more info and we can certainly make some suggestions