With the cost of everything from shampoo to fresh produce increasing, we are all looking for new ways to enjoy our food for less cost.
Growing your own fruits, veggies, and herbs is a great way to decrease monthly spending and help the environment.
Whether you have a bright green thumb or have never grown anything before, we are here to help. Tomatoes are a rather simple fruit to grow and are perfect for a range of dishes.
In this article, we discuss how long tomato plants live so that you know how long before you have to plant another one. Never purchase tomatoes from the store again and enjoy this new, relaxing hobby!
Table of Contents
The Lifespan Of A Tomato Plant
Tomato plants typically live for around 6 months before succumbing to the first frost.
You may increase their lifespans by doing things like collecting the fruits early, fertilizing regularly, and propagating your plant to make more of it.
Tomato plants thrive and remain at their best during the warmer months of spring and summer and will most likely die as soon as the temperature begins to drop.
Your tomato plant might live to give fruit for next season in some climates where the temperature is always above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and there is no chance of frost.
However, the chances of it surviving the winter are rather rare.
It is important to remember that tomato plants are quite prone to diseases, especially as they get older.
So, not only are you battling the naturally cold climate but you also have to protect them from natural diseases that live on the Earth.
Tomatoes grown in greenhouses may last longer than the typical six months; some may even persist and produce fruit until the late fall.
A popular DIY home greenhouse is the Ohuhu Greenhouse for Outdoors.
Once again, everything depends on your climate and on maintaining a consistently warm temperature in your greenhouse.
Methods For Letting Your Tomato Plant Live Longer
Your tomato plant dying after 6 months in spring and summer is completely natural. However, there are a few tips and tricks to help them live longer and maybe produce fruit until late fall.
One of the best ways to help your tomato plant live longer is to pick the fruits off the vine right before they are ripe.
During the fruit-bearing period, tomato plants expend a lot of energy; by picking the fruits before they ripen, you can save your plant’s energy for growth.
If you pick the tomatoes before they are ripe, place them in a paper bag and allow them to sit near other ripened fruits. They will become ripe much quicker and extend the life of the plant itself.
Another method is to sit your tomato plant on a windowsill that gains a lot of sunlight.
Whether indoors or in a greenhouse, placing your plant where it can get lots of indirect sunlight throughout the colder months will allow it to grow and produce tomatoes.
The indirect sunlight will also allow the fruits to ripen much more quickly. Make sure to place the plant with the stem side down to get the best results.
It is crucial to ensure that your tomato plant is fertilized correctly. This should be done every 2 weeks throughout the blossoming and fruit bearing period.
A simple tomato plant food that you can find in the store will do wonders for your plant and its fruits.
NPK nutrients, which are essential for maintaining the health and strength of your tomato plant, are present in almost all fertilizers for tomatoes.
We like to use Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer for some of our tomato plants.
The more wholesome your tomato plant is, the less likely it is to contract fatal ailments and the faster it will recover if it does, allowing it to thrive into late fall or even through to the next blooming season.
How Long Do Tomato Plants Produce Fruit?
Every year that a tomato plant is alive, tomatoes can be harvested.
The two primary varieties of tomatoes are indeterminate and determinate, so it’s crucial to understand them before you commit to growing a tomato plant for years.
Tomatoes can be harvested each year when a tomato plant is active.
Before you commit to growing a tomato plant for years, it’s important to grasp the differences between the two main tomato kinds, indeterminate and determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants will produce fruit over a longer period of time, providing you with a longer harvest and a longer life span.
Whereas, determinate tomato plants produce all of their tomatoes within a two-week period. This is not a great choice for home growers depending on the fruits produced.
How To Propagate Your Tomato Plant
A sure way to extend the life of your tomato plant is to propagate the plant. This involves cutting a side shoot from your plant and allowing it to grow in water. Creating a copy of the original tomato plant.
This should be done during May or June, but if you live in a warmer climate it can be done at any time during the growing period.
Simply use a pair of sterilized sheers, cut off a single shoot which has no fruits growing, and place it into a jar with water and in indirect sunlight. Water this every few weeks until you begin to see roots and transfer to a pot with a mix of soil.
The soil should be a mix that has high moisture-retaining abilities such as the sandy loam variety like the popular Dr. Earth Gold Premium Potting Soil.
Bottom Line
How long do tomato plants live? Well, that completely depends on you. With basic care, your tomato plant will bloom for around 6 months throughout spring and summer.
You can also extend the life of your tomato plant with a few of the tips and tricks mentioned above.
By extending the life of your tomato plant you can enjoy ripe, juicy tomatoes throughout the summer and right into fall. You may even get blossoms right into the next harvesting season!
Take extra care for your tomato plants and watch them thrive for longer than ever before.
Further Recommendations:
- When to plant Strawberries in Seattle
- Golden Kiwi vs Green Kiwi – which is the best?
- The ultimate guide to growing Serrano Peppers in pots
- How to grow mushrooms in Georgia
- Can Dogs Eat Kiwi Fruit?
Leave a Reply