unremarkably acquire as annuals , tomatoes are recurrent when give some TLC . Here ’s how to overwinter your plant .
A favorite tomato plant plant can be hard totoss in the compost heapat the ending of the time of year , so you may be wondering , " Are tomatoes repeated ? " save a tomato flora from one time of year to another is n’t common and descend with some challenges but it can be done . You wo n’t get fruit in the winter — it ’s nottomato seasonafter all — but you may keep the flora conk out so you may get a harvest the following grow season . Use these gratuity and method to overwinter your favorite tomato plants .
Are tomato plants perennial?
Perennial industrial plant come backyear after yr . They make it months of cold-blooded temperatures in winter , usually after their stem die out back to the ground , then arise back from their root to blossom and fruit the following time of year .
Tomato plants hail from tropical regions of South America . In their native environs , they take back reliably every year . Thetypes of tomato plant we growfor BLTs , salsas , and salad top hat today were bred and selected for their fruit . Any minor winter hardiness they once had was lost in the breeding cognitive operation , sotomatoes are grown as one-year plants in home gardens . However , if protected from uttermost cold , these plants can be keep alive from year to twelvemonth .
What Is a Perennial?
A perennial is a plant that can grow for several years , as controvert to an one-year plant that nail its life cycle ( come to seed ) in the duet of a unmarried twelvemonth .
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Tips for Overwintering Tomatoes
tomato plant can survive through winterwhen brought at heart and give some TLC . Before attempting to overwinter a tomato flora , keep these primal concepts in thinker to increase your chances of winner .
1. Start with a healthy plant.
It is only worthwhile to attempt to winter a absolutely healthy tomato plant . plant stressed , even minorly , by fungous disease , leaf spots of various variety , and worm pests are not in top shape and will likely not withstand the challenge of develop indoors . It is tricky togrow a disease - devoid tomato plantinto September or October when it is time to transition indoors . But do n’t make exceptions , only overwinter healthy plants .
2. Determinate plants overwinter best.
tomato plant plants that grow to a certain height , then bloom and fruit all at once have what ’s known as a determinate ontogeny drug abuse . Populardeterminate tomato varietiesinclude ‘ Roma , ’ ‘ Bush Early Girl , ’ and ‘ Tumbler . ’ Determinate plants have a best chance of overwintering than their indeterminate relatives . Indeterminate tomato plants continue grow , efflorescence , and fruiting over the course of their life . This on-going ontogenesis makes it tricky to successfully winter .
3. Don’t expect fruit.
Tomato plant that flourish alfresco in the summerwill not bring on fruitin wintertime . Lack of heating plant , bright Christ Within , and pollinators squelch fruiting . The destination when overwintering tomatoes indoors is to simply keep the plant alive so they can fruit again in the following summer .
4. It’s a fun experiment.
look at that starter plant are available for less than a buck in spring , or you cangrow your own seedlingsfor a few cent , overwintering Lycopersicon esculentum plant is n’t economic . And even with the most diligent care , a Lycopersicon esculentum plant may not withstand indoor life . retrieve of it more as an experiment to see if you could successfully winter a tomato plant .
How to Overwinter Tomatoes
There are two ways to overwinter tomato imbed indoors without the aid of a fully serve greenhouse . Both method are most successful when you start out with a completely good for you , determinatetomato plant that is growing in a container . Do n’t render to transplant an inground tomato flora to a container for overwintering . The stress of transplanting a declamatory flora may kill it .
Cool Environment Method
At the end of the outdoor growing season , move the container - grow tomato plant plant at heart to an country that is between 40 and 55 ° atomic number 9 — an unwarmed garage or cellar might work well . put the potunder a grow lightthat provides light about 18 hours a day . cut back the plant back by one-half or so after it has acclimatize to the indoor atmospheric condition . The plant will not grow much but will stay alive until the next growing season . body of water the tomato plant as needed to exert moist , but not pixilated soil .
Warm Environment Method
When nighttime temperatures drop to 55 ° F , move the container - grown tomato flora inside to a warm localization — the idealistic room temperature is 70 to 80 ° fluorine . identify the container in a burnished fix such as a south- or west - facing window . Add a cool - white florescent luminousness overhead , localize it 3 - 6 inches from the top of the plant . Plan towater the actively growing plant frequently . The beneficial varieties for warm surround overwintering are type that grow just 1 to 2 feet grandiloquent . Try ‘ Tiny Tim , ’ ‘ Micro Tom ’ , ‘ Terenzo , ’ or ‘ Lizzano . ’
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