How long can an indeterminate plant really live?

[EmJayGee]

I have two Better Boy plants which did well over the summer, they still have several fruit on them. (This is my first year growing tomatoes so I have book knowledge... my family had a large garden when I was a kid but my dad was the maestro of the plants and still is but he's far far away.)

Can I prune them, feed them, bring them inside with a grow light and continue to get fruit over the winter?

I'm sure I could clone them and start over but if I understand what I read, it seems that the basic plant should keep growing. I've been pruning all along and there's some new growth low on each, so I think they should be good to go.

Thanks in advance!
Mike

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

ID tomatoes can pretty much live until frost, assuming disease doesn't get to them. As for bringing them indoors, you would need very strong lights for tomatoes, and you have to be careful about bringing in pests, especially if you are growing other things. I don't bring in things like that, but somebody will chime in here that can tell you about growing tomatoes indoors.

[Sue_CT]

Well this one takes 1.5 years just to reach its full size.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/to ... ld-record/

[EmJayGee]

Wow, that is amazing!

I am not particularly concerned about pests, but it’s coming close to frost and they are due for a feeding so I need to make a decision so in they shall come!

Thanks! The quality difference with home grown really has been eye opening so now I just want to keep the ball rolling!

Mike

[Rockoe10]

Well, frost will kill it. So if you want to save it, you'll have to bring it indoors.

As mentioned above, tomatoes need a lot of light. So keep that in mind when finding a place for them in your home, or the type of lights you use. I use LED "shop lights". Try and get a close to 4,000 lumens or more for a plant. Also, look for lights that are "blue" lights (5k is what will be on the box. Its the wavelength of the light).

Use light fertilizer. You don't want the tomato plant to grow fast (or maybe you do, idk). The reason is it's not practical unless your in a heated greenhouse. "Overwintering" a tomato plant is more to save it from death, keep it alive just enough and then take it back outside in the spring. Its going to look sickly while it's inside.

Good luck, and happy growing!

PS
To answer your main question, cuz i totally forgot lol.
They can live, pretty much forever. Eventualy there will be degeneration and mutations (like plant cancer) that will eventually kill it, but you could easily get a plant to live for many years.

[HL2601]

If the tomato obsession bug has bitten you, and you are seriously interested in growing some inside this winter you should consider Micro tomatoes. They will need lights but ideally stay below 18" tall. Micros are very fun to grow. Several members here are doing some breeding projects to expand available varieties and they have a forum devoted to that too. If you want more info or seeds PM me.

[EmJayGee]

Well I managed to not kill tomatoes and basil for a whole summer so I was hoping to do more.

I also fed them today probably more than you would have expected. I do plan to try to illuminate them enough to survive. I have several "full spectrum" bulbs as well as an LED grow light I bought two years ago for this purpose... I don't have the whole weed-grower's setup or anything but I was going to put it in the basement and leave the lights on 24/7.

[Rockoe10]

24hr lighting has been shown to be worse. The optimal Day hours of lighting to hours of night is around 16D:8N. Any more day time hours and it can have an adverse affect. Kinda neat how plants need to sleep too. Buying a cheap outlet timer can make the whole thing hands off.

It'll also curb that electric bill

Edit:
To clarify, tomato plants need more intense lighting, but not longer hours. Does that make sense?

A cool way to get that "weed-setup" without all the aluminum is to buy one of those white poster boards that fold up. Put that around the plant and the white does a good job reflecting the light back to the leaves.

[EmJayGee]

Makes sense (16/8)! Also, white poster board is cheaper than the $100 grow tent in my Amazon shopping cart right now too.

My wife did ask just how much the excellent tomatoes cost us overall but most of the cost was startup (the fertilizer, lime, epsom salts since I overdid the lime, pH meter to diagnose my lime overdose, etc.).

[loulac]

Let me set the cat among the pigeons: is prolonging the life of our beloved tomatoes really worth the trouble and the expense? They taste best from July to the end of September in my place, then there is a drop of quality. In October late blight kills 1/3 of the plants. Andes tomatoes - good production, great taste - fall on the ground when ripe to indicate the end of the season. When the second half of November comes, I switch to lettuce and grated raw carrots till the next month of July.

[MissS]

There will be a noticeable drop in the flavor and quality of your tomatoes when you bring them in. The sunlight plays a major role in how home grown tomatoes taste. Lights just can not produce the flavor that you are experiencing now. Growing large tomatoes in the house is a huge challenge and expensive. Most of us freeze or can our tomatoes so that we can enjoy the fresh flavors of summer in the off season. Since this is your first year growing these, I too suggest that you try your hand at some of the micro tomatoes if you are set to try growing them indoors.