How long do tomato plants live?– A Tomato plant can live for 6 Months. Starting from seed to flowering and then dying, 6-8 months is the complete life cycle of a tomato plant.
According to biology, A tomato is a soft stem perennial fruiting plant. this definition makes it clear that tomato plants can live for several years if kept safe. You only need to care for three important factors- Temperature, Nutrition, and Sunlight.
Maintaining nutrition for tomatoes is not that difficult. Initially, it needs some Nitrogen specific fertilizer and during the fruiting season add some potassium and phosphorus to the soil. It is easy, you can by any good quality NPK on Amazon for your tomato plants. Also, buy the best tomato seeds on Amazon.
A tomato plant can survive anywhere with temperature over 60 Fahrenheit and at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. This is a little tricky job but you can manage it with some knowledge. Move the plants in shade and use some grow lights for supports.
Also, read this post: What size grow bag for Tomatoes? Know the Tricks.
Can tomato plants live forever?
No, Tomato plants can not live forever. In fact, no plant or animal can live forever. The entire concept of forever living is a paradox. One who has born need to dye after finishing its life cycle. What matters the most is- the life cycle of a tomato plant.
Some plants can live for years whereas another will die in months. So It is specific to every plant and their variety. The general life span of a Tomato Plant is 6 months.
Read the previous post: Do all Plants Produce Oxygen?- Garden facts
How long can a tomato plant live in a greenhouse?- A tomato plant can live for more than 3 years in a greenhouse. You just need some techniques and proper care. Inside a greenhouse, all a tomato plant need is water, nutrients, and lots of love.
A greenhouse is a perfect place to grow any plant even in adverse climatic conditions. You have to regulate the amount of temperature and moisture but it is easy with greenhouse. Proper air vents can do most of your job.
Two benefits of greenhouse in tomato plantation are-
- You can grow tomato plants early than anyone. Early grown tomato plants can yield for long as they get mature in the early fruiting season. You can easily germinate tomato seeds inside a greenhouse during frost season. Time is a great advantage with the greenhouse.
- You can grow tomatoes year-round. It is not just early yielding, actually, it is anytime yielding. You can grow a tomato in any season or any time of the year inside a greenhouse. Seasonality is not much considered with greenhouse gardening.
Some specific varieties of tomato can fruit for more than 5 years inside a greenhouse. Do you know- Are Tomatoes Fruits or Vegetables?
How many times will a tomato plant bear fruit?
A tomato plant can bear fruits for several years. Yes, it is true but there as some factors. Best fruiting can be observed only in the first season.
A tomato Fruit takes 15-22 days to mature this means in a season a plant can bear fruits 3 or 4 times. This stats seems interesting but certainly, it is not useful.
A tomato plant can only produce flowers in new branches. It means more branches can have more fruits. And if you keep pruning the plants then you can definitely control the yield throughout the season.
At least 3 times you can get fruits from your tomato plants.
What is the life span of a tomato plant?
The average life span of a tomato plant is 6 months. More or less you can get the best yield during this time.
A tomato plant is a perennial fruiting plant. Technically it can survive for several years. Also, tomato is highly prone to fungal attacks and diseases. This is why the average life span of a tomato plant is considered only 1 season or just 6 months.
Seed germination in tomato can take 5-15 days. After germination, the tomato seedling needs 25-40 days to mature. Then nearly after 60-80 days of seeding, you can harvest tomatoes from the plants.
Fruiting in tomatoes generally starts after 65 days. This is the 3rd-5th month of the first year after seeding. A tomato plant can bear fruits multiple times during its fruiting season.
The fruiting will reduce in the 5th and 6th month and after that, the plant will die or certainly stop productive fruiting.
A tomato plant generally dies due to harsh climatic conditions or any disease. Severe cold or frost-like situation or burning hot summer days are deadly for tomato plants.
If you can or maybe you can protect your tomatoes from frost in autumn and winter then you can get fruits in the next season. Also, you have to save these plants in hot May & June month. You can use proper shades for such hard conditions.
The next problem is fungus and diseases in tomato plants. You can use some quality fungicide or pesticide regularly to protect your tomato plants. Try to keep the leaves dry and maintain proper moisture in the soil fr your tomato plants.
Final Words
tomato plants can live for several years. The average life span for a tomato plant is 6-month. Do you think it is helpful? Do write your views and comments below. Stay tuned and keep reading.
Live the Green!
I am trying to raise tomatoes this year! I have to use containers cause I’m in a Apartment. I grew a tomato plant from seed in November. It grew and grew! Then blossoms showed up and by January i had 15 large tomatoes on my Big Delicious tomato plant I live in Houston zone 9b. The plant was good and then the weatherman said boys ya gonna get frozen stuff and it proceeded to be one of the coldest days ever! Brought that 6′ behemoth in the house and put a gro light on it! Well it dropped all it’s blooms but the tomaters are finer than a frog hair split 6 ways! Been back outside now for a bit and blossoms are showing again! How long before the tomatoes turn red?
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for reaching out. It’s nice to hear that your plants are fine and doing great.
These tomatoes can take anywhere between 8-15 days to start turning yellow and then fully Red. The timing greatly depends on the temperature and amount of sunlight it receives. In a grow light, it can take up to 22 days to ripe and turn Red.
Hey, I like your story and your writing is incredibly clear. This means that what you are writing.. You know incredibly incredibly well!!
I am an Electrical Engineer and I enjoy gardening as well..
I plant lots of plants and planning to plant so so much more so they can draw the CO2 out of the air..
To keep it simple,, this is what you should keep in mind..
If you want a seed and the seed grow into a plant or a tree and it means if your tree or plant is 100kg heavy.. Think of it as your plant has drawn 100kg of CO2 out of the air (: