was a super star. So far, Romas were the only tomato that
grew during the summer, enduring the intense sun and
upper 80-degree temps. They've always been the last
of my tomato plants to stop producing.
This year I trialed Marzano Fire. In the past, I've had very poor
results with the Marzanos, even when planted during the most
ideal months of the year. Marzano Fire was the first variety that
produced an abundance of fruit, was very resistant to powdery
mildew and fruited through the rising temps of late spring
Marzano Fire
Marzano Fire were the largest paste tomatoes I've grown.
They began to ripen at 4 months and averaged
around 3 inches long and 2.5 to 3.5 oz.
Roma and Marzano Fire were perfect for balcony container
gardens. They're determinate varieties and grew around 4 ft
tall in a container. These plants were prolific, the fruit
weren't mealy and didn't show any signs of cracking.
After I moved in 2021, it took two years before I figured out that
tomato plants really do need full sun. Since I have a small garden
space now, and limited months of full sun, I've found that early
to mid-season determinate tomato varieties are ideal.
Maglia Rosa & Marzano Fire in May
Maglia Rosa and Marzano Fire were planted in 15 inch containers.
In the photos there are two plants in each container. This helps
shade the fruit from baking in scorching sun all afternoon.
By late spring, the plants need to be fully watered every day.
They also need generous twice monthly applications of an
all-purpose fertilizer and agricultural epsom salt as
paste tomatoes are prone to blossom end rot.
Roma seeds are widely available. Marzano Fire was
developed by Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds and can
be sourced from Bene Seeds, Etsy and Ebay.
To keep my wood deck from being water damaged, I use 13 inch
plant caddies under the containers. Since shade cloth isn't an
option, these also work great for moving some of the
containers in and out of the afternoon sun.
