Gardeners on the hunt for a large, delicious tomato variety with resistance to extreme heat—look no further! Bella Rosa Tomatoes bring a powerhouse of flavor and hardiness that make them the best for growing even in the hottest climates.
Read on to learn all about this beloved, durable tomato.
Characteristics of Bella Rosa Tomatoes
In most respects, the Bella Rosa Tomato can be coined as a classic tomato variety. These hybrid, determinate fruits are large, firm, juicy, and round. When fully ripe, they manifest the deep red shade to which their name is owed (“beautiful rose”).
Bella Rosa Tomatoes have a rich, powerful flavor profile that is typically compared to that of an heirloom tomato. But, believe it or not, it is actually the characteristics you can’t see or taste that make this such a popular tomato variety!
Bella Rosa Tomato plants and their fruit can also thrive in the sort of heat and humidity that causes other tomato plants to wilt. In addition, they’re resistant to heat-induced Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. It’s traits like these that truly make the Bella Rosa Tomato such a popular variety.
Beautiful, delicious, and capable of surviving in extreme heat, this tomato can be grown and enjoyed just about anywhere.
The Bella Rosa Tomato Specific
Eating Them
Due to their robust flavor profile, the Bella Rosa is a highly popular snacking tomato. It is fantastic raw, but it can also be cooked down or processed in other ways to get the most out of that heirloom-style taste.
Due to its firm fleshiness and larger size, the Bella Rosa Tomato is a great slicer tomato. It can be enjoyed on burgers, in sandwiches, or in wraps. You can also cut it up for salads or dice it small for salsa. In all of these cases, it will add a punch of balanced acidity and earthy sweetness.
Bella Rosa Tomatoes are also great cooked down for making pasta sauces or tomato puree. This is another application where that flavor profile really shines! You can also enjoy these tomatoes in homemade tomato juice or in other beverages.
Health Benefits
As with all tomato varieties, there is a wealth of health benefits to eating Bella Rosa Tomatoes! First and foremost, and most prominent with tomatoes in general, is the high dose of the antioxidant lycopene that is bioavailable in Bella Rosa Tomatoes. This is what gives all tomatoes their deep red hue.
Lycopene is a carotenoid that helps reduce inflammation throughout the body. It does this by fighting free radicals that can travel throughout your system and cause things like joint pain, heavy and painful menstrual cycles, skin conditions like eczema, and even feelings of overall malaise.
Consuming plenty of antioxidants like lycopene will mitigate the amount of inflammation in your body and help you feel better from head to toe. In addition to lycopene, the Bella Rosa also offers high doses of potassium, iron, and dietary fiber, which help with your energy levels and digestive system.
Vitamins C and A are also quite prevalent in tomatoes like the Bella Rosa, which helps boost your immune system and keep your eyesight in good shape. Other nutrients present in tomatoes help with your cholesterol levels, heart and lung health, and much more.
Tomatoes are also very high in water content. Consuming them regularly, especially in the heat of the summer when Bella Rosa Tomatoes are ripening, will help you stay hydrated.
Growing at Home
Bella Rosa Tomatoes are a relatively easy variety to grow at home. They are particularly beloved for home gardening in areas that experience extreme summertime heat. This tomato variety’s resistance to high temperatures and associated wilt makes them extremely popular in hotter climates.
Preparing and Planting
Right off the bat, you should be prepared to start your Bella Rosa Tomato plants indoors rather than direct seeding them in the soil. The germination period for tomato plants is longer than that of their vegetable counterparts. So if you wait to plant them directly after the threat of frost has passed in your area, your harvest may be lacking.
Instead, you should begin your tomato seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost usually strikes. You can begin them in seed trays that can be directly sown into the soil after the last frost. If need be, you can also transplant seedlings into larger pots if the cold hangs around longer than usual.
While your seedlings are beginning indoors, scope out your garden for the perfect tomato spot! Bella Rosa plants need a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, and they do best in loose, well-draining soil with a balanced acidity level.
Once you have found the ideal spot, you will want to loosen and compost the soil to prepare it to receive your tomato plants. Keep an eye on the pH balance in the soil to ensure the compost does not raise the numbers above 6.5.
About one week before you intend to transplant your Bella Rosa seedlings, you can harden them off by placing them outside for a few hours during the warmest part of the day. Make sure they’re protected from the wind and bring them indoors at night.
After a week of hardening off, it’s time to transplant! Plant your Bella Rosa plants 18 to 24 inches apart, with 3 to 4 feet between rows of plants, and bury them up to the second set of leaves. You can also cage or stake them at this time to assist with their healthy growth.
Once planted, water your seedlings thoroughly and much them to retain moisture.
Caring and Maintaining
After they are established in the soil, continue to water your Bella Rosa plants deeply once or twice a week. If drought sets in, you may need to water them every other day until the rain starts up again.
Keep your plants weeded and pruned, and feed them with a fish emulsion mixture every two weeks. You will see maturity in about 70 days and will usually have a harvest to enjoy until the first frost sets in.
Where to Buy Bella Rosa Tomato Seeds
Bella Rosa Tomato seeds can often be sourced from local lawn and garden centers and nurseries. If you are buying your seeds online, we recommend Hoss Tools Bella Rosa Seeds.
Wrapping Up the Bella Rosa Tomato
Ready to start growing Bella Rosa Tomatoes in your garden—whether you’re in a hot or cool climate? First, take time to read our Tomato Plants page. This will equip you with all the necessary knowledge for how to grow, care for, and enjoy your tomato plants!
- About the Author
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Renee Dugan is a lifelong writer, professional editor, and lover of all things nature, gardening and the big outdoors.
A Midwest girl who’s been in the garden since she could first hold a hand trowel, Renee’s love of growing things has bloomed into a passion for healthy living, holistic lifestyle, and knowing where our food comes from.
Now a mother and maturing gardener herself, Renee is passionate about channeling everything she knows and continues to learn about gardening into lessons for her son and others. Her excitement for sharing this knowledge is only superseded by her excitement about being able to finally grow her own citrus plants in pots.
Renee can be reached at renee.s.dugan@gmail.com