Indeterminate tomatoes can be grown as perennial tomatoes |
There
are many thousand different types of tomato, I am not exaggerating
here, probably over twenty thousand recognised varieties world wide with a
lot more being developed (by home growers such as myself as well as Government breeding programs) each year and a lot becoming extinct each
year. In the supermarkets we probably have access to half a dozen or
so, by growing heirlooms we have easy access to several hundred
varieties of all kinds of shapes/sizes/colours. By growing heirlooms it
is simple to save seed of the best varieties each year. Of the many
varieties of tomato that we have the easiest access to they can be
roughly divided into two groups: determinate and indeterminate.
Determinate
tomatoes fruit pretty much all at once, then they tend to die, they are
most easily grown as annuals. They produce flowers at their terminal bud, after they flower that branch can not produce more leaves and stems. These are great if you want all of your
crop to harvest once, they are great for large scale farmers who only want to harvest once, as well as people
who are into home preserving. If you are planning on making paste or sauce
then you probably want a determinate variety, there are several
incredibly old and delicious heirloom varieties that are determinate. I
don't grow many of these, but I do grow a few, they serve their purpose
well. Some places claim determinate tomatoes are short and do not require staking, this is not always the case, please ignore anyone who makes such claims and stop buying seeds from them.
Indeterminate
tomatoes can fruit over a long period, they keep growing as long as you
protect the plant, they can be grown as perennial tomatoes if grown without frost. They grow flowers from a side bud, not the terminal bud. These
are great if you want a few tomatoes each day or every few days, for
many weeks/months on end. Most varieties of tomato grown at home tend
to be indeterminate, most heirlooms tend to be indeterminate (but there
are some determinate ones too). Some of these plants can grow massive
while others can be rather compact. Even though indeterminate tomatoes
are perennial tomatoes they still tend to be grown as annuals. Almost all indeterminate tomatoes are perennial tomatoes, no need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on "perennial tomato" seeds now. Some places claim that indeterminate tomatoes are tall and require staking, this is not always the case, please ignore anyone who makes such claims and stop buying seeds from them.
Perennial Tomatoes
Many
varieties of indeterminate tomato are a short lived perennial if grown in a warm
climate, which is great if you happen to live in a warm climate.
Sometimes they can survive for several years but the productivity often
drops off after the first year or two.
I live in a frosty climate and have often wanted to grow the same tomato year after year, not just save seed, but keep the same plant going. Even if you live in a frosty climate it is possible to over winter plants. They probably won't produce a lot of fruit over winter (unless they are parthenocarpic), they will continue to flower but often the nights are too cool for fruit set, as soon as the weather is warm enough they will be ready and will ripen some early fruit for you. This is a great way to get your plants to set fruit a few weeks to a few months earlier than from seed.
Each
year I overwinter some tomato plants. Sometimes I do it because I am
running low on seed, sometimes I do it because the plant was amazing and
I want another season out of it, sometimes I do it because I am
developing a new variety and would like to back cross its progeny with
it to lock in a certain desirable trait. Plants that are overwintered tend to
crop a lot earlier and be more resilient than seedlings of the same
variety. Sometimes I overwinter a plant to help get an early crop and
beat the extreme weather that we often get.I live in a frosty climate and have often wanted to grow the same tomato year after year, not just save seed, but keep the same plant going. Even if you live in a frosty climate it is possible to over winter plants. They probably won't produce a lot of fruit over winter (unless they are parthenocarpic), they will continue to flower but often the nights are too cool for fruit set, as soon as the weather is warm enough they will be ready and will ripen some early fruit for you. This is a great way to get your plants to set fruit a few weeks to a few months earlier than from seed.
Yellow Pear tomatoes are simple to grow as perennials |
How to overwinter an indeterminate tomato
This is one of those things that depends on a lot of different factors, mostly it depends on what you want to do and in which climate you are growing tomatoes. You may wish to put up a shade cloth structure or something to protect a plant growing in the soil. You may grow a plant in a pot that can be moved to somewhere safe. You may live somewhere that the plants can be left as they are or just mulched carefully. I take cuttings and overwinter these.
I take a cutting late in the season from the plant that I want to overwinter. I use indeterminate varieties, while it is possible to use a determinate variety it is far more difficult as timing has to be just right and sometimes cuttings have to be taken throughout winter to prevent flowering. Remember, if a determinate tomato flowers it will not grow any more or be able to produce new leaves or new sets of flowers.
The cutting will be genetically identical to the original plant, it is essentially the same plant. I remove any flowers, remove the lower leaf or few leaves as they do not cope under water, then put the cutting into a glass of water. The part I cut needs to be under water, the leaves need to be above the water, very simple. You could plant the cutting directly into soil at this point instead of using water but I like to see the roots first so I use a glass of water.
Tomato cutting, ready to plant into soil |
During this time it will grow and it should flower, mostly the flowers abort as the night temperatures are too low. I grow them outside under the verandah against the mud brick where they get sun and warmth but no frost, if you live somewhere colder you could grow them inside near a window for light. They need sunlight or they will become sick and attacked by insects.
This is the same cutting on the left, the second cutting was put in the water when the first picture was taken |
This process of taking cuttings to overwinter can be continued indefinitely, each time you take a cutting you are restarting the clock and the plant will not die of old age. If you have found a good F1 hybrid that you like and can not save seed from you do not need to buy new plants each year as you can simply take a cutting and overwinter the same plant. You no longer need to waste money on 'perennial tomato' seeds, just look for a good indeterminate variety as they are perennial.
Far too easy, you now have perennial tomato plants even if you live in a frosty climate. I sell some heirloom tomato seeds on my for sale page. Many of these are indeterminate and can easily be over wintered, if you are interested please have a look.
________________________________________________________________________________
Edit to add:
I have grown tomatoes and overwintered them too many times to remember. I am now wondering if in cold climates in small backyards if it is worth while growing them as perennials.
Tomatoes grow so easily from seed and the space that they need over winter may be better used by something else that can not be grown from seed. Overwintered tomatoes do fruit about 2 months earlier than seed grown, which is great, but space is so limiting now we live in town.
I also have a few super early determinate varieties such as 'igloo' that will grow, fruit, and die before most other varieties start to ripen. This means I can grow all from seed, have early tomatoes from 'igloo' and late tomatoes from other varieties and not have to protect anything over winter.