Usually grown as annuals, tomatoes are perennial when given some TLC.
Here’s how to overwinter your plants.
Use these tips and methods to overwinter your favorite tomato plants.
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Are tomato plants perennial?
Perennial plants come backyear after year.
Tomato plants hail from tropical regions of South America.
In their native environment, they return reliably every year.
However, if protected from extreme cold, these plants can be kept alive from year to year.
What Is a Perennial?
Start with a healthy plant.
It is only worthwhile to attempt to overwinter a perfectly healthy tomato plant.
It is tricky togrow a disease-free tomato plantinto September or October when it is time to transition indoors.
But dont make exceptions, only overwinter healthy plants.
Determinate plants overwinter best.
Populardeterminate tomato varietiesinclude Roma, Bush Early Girl, and Tumbler.
Determinate plants have a better chance of overwintering than their indeterminate relatives.
Indeterminate tomato plants continue growing, flowering, and fruiting over the course of their life.
This ongoing growth makes it tricky to successfully overwinter.
Tomato plants that flourished outside in the summerwill not produce fruitin winter.
Lack of heat, bright light, and pollinators squelch fruiting.
Its a fun experiment.
And even with the most diligent care, a tomato plant may not withstand indoor life.
Think of it more as an experiment to see if you could successfully overwinter a tomato.
Dont take a stab at transplant an inground tomato plant to a container for overwintering.
The stress of transplanting a large plant may kill it.
Place the potunder a grow lightthat provides light about 18 hours a day.
Cut the plant back by half or so after it has acclimated to the indoor conditions.
The plant will not grow much but will stay alive until the next growing season.
Water the tomato plant as needed to maintain moist, but not wet soil.
Place the container in a bright location such as a south- or west-facing window.
Add a cool-white florescent light overhead, placing it 3-6 inches from the top of the plant.
Plan towater the actively growing plant frequently.
The best varieties for warm environment overwintering are types that grow just 1 to 2 feet tall.
Try Tiny Tim, Micro Tom, Terenzo, or Lizzano.
