Can you overwinter tomatoes?

[bobm]

in my case absolutely not. not here, not right now, perhaps no ever.

why? i'm plenty busy enough already, when it is time for the season to end i am quite ready to do other things.

my exception to having a greenhouse would be this:

if i could have a large enough greenhouse that i could fit a small one room house inside it, just a place where i have the fridge, the shower, toilet, my books and other gadgets that would not like being kept out in the greenhouse. the greenhouse over the small house would also have to include a large wandering water feature that i could swim in and it would also act as a heat sink.

the winter's here being so cold i could not store enough heat to prevent the outside part from freezing so it would have to be further south, just far enough south that i can still grow everything i want to here, but also that i could grow citrus inside that would survive. the pool would be for wintertime exercise. i love swimming the best. i'd also want a large jungle gym so i can crawl around and work on plants from up high without having to have other ways of getting up to do those things that are needed.

plenty of solar panels and electricity storage would be nice. or even hydrogen cells and hydrogen storage would be nice. either way i'd need enough juice to keep warm and everything from freezing through the winter inside the little house and then whatever extra heat and juice i'd have would go towards keeping the pool warm and that then acts to keep the greenhouse from freezing.

the big problem with greenhouses, they get diseases and problems and even if you air them out and clean them it's just not the same as being outside. there's just no really good way yet of doing everything all summer and then enclosing it for the winter and still getting the benefits of the bug killing cold spells and being able to grow colder weather crops too.

so even with a greenhouse and all that gadgetry i still want plenty of outside cooler weather gardens and places to grow bulk crops too like all the beanos.

really, keep it simple is where i am at now. no greenhouse needed or wanted. just let me get out there when the weather is acceptable and i'll enjoy things as they are otherwise.

but i do constantly day dream about this sort of thing and how to get an actual workable energy budget and a location that works for this and somehow coming up with the $.

... and how many 7 figures you plan to raise for your dream greenhouse ?

 

[Dirtmechanic]

It literally took 25 years of being married to understand you perfectly. I do hope you pollinate those ideas you are expressing!

 

[flowerbug]

... and how many 7 figures you plan to raise for your dream greenhouse ?

none, none at all, see, that's part of my points, i'm raising really good food here for dirt cheap (pun intended).

adding a greenhouse may give me some more time at either end of the season, but when i'm working at capacity already do i really want more season? not particularly. i'm happy how things are going for the most part.

i cannot change Mom to adapt some techniques that would be better for the soil and the gardens so the soils improve at a slower pace than they would otherwise.

the projects i managed to get done are making a large difference in my ability to do other things and i intend to continue that next year with a few on my todo list. most of them should not cost much, the other project we need to do that will cost something is more cosmetic, but if i stick it out here longer term it will be a nice thing to have done (fill in the front ditch) because right now it's due for work anyways and if we have someone do the part that needs work it might make sense to do it all at once. as they say, always something when you own a place.

 

[flowerbug]

My SIL (now passed on) lived in Niceville, FL. She grew 2 indeterminate tomato plants on the outside of her bathroom window, and didn't bother with curtains on the inside.

curtains are for weenies (quoting Mom).

 

[Zeedman]

in my case absolutely not. not here, not right now, perhaps no ever.

why? i'm plenty busy enough already, when it is time for the season to end i am quite ready to do other things.

my exception to having a greenhouse would be this:

if i could have a large enough greenhouse that i could fit a small one room house inside it, just a place where i have the fridge, the shower, toilet, my books and other gadgets that would not like being kept out in the greenhouse. the greenhouse over the small house would also have to include a large wandering water feature that i could swim in and it would also act as a heat sink.

the winter's here being so cold i could not store enough heat to prevent the outside part from freezing so it would have to be further south, just far enough south that i can still grow everything i want to here, but also that i could grow citrus inside that would survive. the pool would be for wintertime exercise. i love swimming the best. i'd also want a large jungle gym so i can crawl around and work on plants from up high without having to have other ways of getting up to do those things that are needed.

plenty of solar panels and electricity storage would be nice. or even hydrogen cells and hydrogen storage would be nice. either way i'd need enough juice to keep warm and everything from freezing through the winter inside the little house and then whatever extra heat and juice i'd have would go towards keeping the pool warm and that then acts to keep the greenhouse from freezing.

the big problem with greenhouses, they get diseases and problems and even if you air them out and clean them it's just not the same as being outside. there's just no really good way yet of doing everything all summer and then enclosing it for the winter and still getting the benefits of the bug killing cold spells and being able to grow colder weather crops too.

so even with a greenhouse and all that gadgetry i still want plenty of outside cooler weather gardens and places to grow bulk crops too like all the beanos.

really, keep it simple is where i am at now. no greenhouse needed or wanted. just let me get out there when the weather is acceptable and i'll enjoy things as they are otherwise.

but i do constantly day dream about this sort of thing and how to get an actual workable energy budget and a location that works for this and somehow coming up with the $.

Sounds like your future Dome-icile. You could probably fund it by charging for tours.

 

[Zeedman]

When I lived & gardened in San Diego, some winters were frost-free, and I was able to over-winter quite a few vegetables... tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, chard, and limas. I wasn't happy with the performance of the tomatoes, for the same reasons mentioned by @Ridgerunner . It might have helped if I had cut them back (I didn't). Peppers did much better, IMO they are well worth wintering over - especially some of the hot peppers.

 

[flowerbug]

Sounds like your future Dome-icile. You could probably fund it by charging for tours.

taking time out of a maxed out schedule to give tours would mean i'd end up having to deal with people and while i'm ok with some of that i sure don't want to do it all the time.

but i really should just answer the question hey? yes, you can overwinter tomatoes, but is it really worth it? counting costs is important. spending $100/yr for winter tomatoes from someplace else might be the better answer than spending a lot of time and money on yet another structure to maintain. so you have to figure your time and money and resources budget and then see if it really works for you or not.

 

[Messybun]

taking time out of a maxed out schedule to give tours would mean i'd end up having to deal with people and while i'm ok with some of that i sure don't want to do it all the time.

but i really should just answer the question hey? yes, you can overwinter tomatoes, but is it really worth it? counting costs is important. spending $100/yr for winter tomatoes from someplace else might be the better answer than spending a lot of time and money on yet another structure to maintain. so you have to figure your time and money and resources budget and then see if it really works for you or not.

I think I might have used the wrong word. I don’t need tomatoes in the winter, I’m wondering if a tomato plant could be kept alive, probably barren, over a winter. The end goal would be to have huge tomato plants like my great grandma, if that’s possible. I don’t think there is a variety that can have that big of a plant in just one season, so I assume she must have kept the plant Alive year after year. Honestly I don’t know. If it’s possible I would make a large wooden cage (I just got a bunch of free 2x2s that need something to do) and then cover the frame with plastic in the winter. I don’t believe it would be too expensive, I already have most everything already. It may or may not work though.

 

[flowerbug]

I think I might have used the wrong word. I don’t need tomatoes in the winter, I’m wondering if a tomato plant could be kept alive, probably barren, over a winter. The end goal would be to have huge tomato plants like my great grandma, if that’s possible. I don’t think there is a variety that can have that big of a plant in just one season, so I assume she must have kept the plant Alive year after year. Honestly I don’t know. If it’s possible I would make a large wooden cage (I just got a bunch of free 2x2s that need something to do) and then cover the frame with plastic in the winter. I don’t believe it would be too expensive, I already have most everything already. It may or may not work though.

yes, it's possible. i just have never done it myself.

you will want indeterminant vines.

if you like the beefstake varieties there are a number of those and so far it seems they are indeterminant when i've grown them here.

sorry to have side-tracked things a bit above. lol that happens on TEG though. heehee...

 

[Messybun]

yes, it's possible. i just have never done it myself.

you will want indeterminant vines.

if you like the beefstake varieties there are a number of those and so far it seems they are indeterminant when i've grown them here.

sorry to have side-tracked things a bit above. lol that happens on TEG though. heehee...

I love the sidetrack you can learn something from anywhere! Thank you.