Perennial Tomato Experiment!

[BertieFox]

Great idea!

Our efforts with late cuttings never worked, but that could have been because they were always in blight years and the young plants got infected. This year sounds ideal as there has been no blight anywhere and the greenhouse plants remain very healthy.

It is a great idea for maintaining those expensive F1 hybrids for more than a year (and in theory, indefinitely!). While I am trying to stabilise some F2 descendants of my favourite F1 hybrids, keeping the original parent is a great idea.

Thanks to all who posted on this.

[Scoot]

I might give this a go if i can find any side shoots on the tomato plants i have left.

[BUFFS]

Anything counts Thelma, even more so if it succeeds.............please don't mention budgies........

especially "toothless" ones.....

[bramble]

I have just taken side shoots from Picollo and sungold in the greenhouse and Nyagous which is growing in the gardeen so i will give these a try in my conservatory.
I also have a tomato plant in an orange bucket which I initally thought was Sungold, but its not.
Its a small determinite plant with small orange fruits with green shoulders.
It seems to be very productive and is throwing out new shoots everywhere so I will try to overwinter this one as well.

Someone on here said they have whitefly, I plant one French Marigold with each tomato plant every year and never have whitefly.

[Bigmallly]

Just thought I'd put an update on my overwintering Tom, early days yet though. I have no idea of the variety as it was a rogue I found in a flower planter. I thought it would be a shame not to give it a chance:

[cristalfiona]

I have actually sort of done this already - I cut down my two best producing plant to just above soil level and composted the rest. I didn't get round to sorting out the roots, and now I think I'll just mulch them and see what happens next year. I've also put my crimson crush into the garage with my chillies and peppers to see if they survive the winter.

[Bigmallly]

Update!

Just thought I'd put a quick update:

So - 24/10/15..............

09/11/15................

How are your doing?

[Lisasbolt]

Maybe i have missed it but just read through the whole thread, did they work when cut down the the floor and then covered?

I have a lovely tomato plant going in the PT, it is the only one that has giving me a whole truss of tomatoes this year, i am going to save seed but i cannot remember what it is, so will try a few side shoots.

[Bigmallly]

Mine didn't work that were cut down Lisa but I guess it was too cold for them.

[Scoot]

I'm just trying the side shoot method. I currently have 2 of them in pots on my window cill upstairs. Hopefully they survive the winter and get a head start on my seedlings in the spring.

[Bigmallly]

Good luck Scoot, keep us posted.

[bramble]

Have you cut one down and covered it up for the winter Bigmally?

[Bigmallly]

No, not this year Bramble, blight claimed the lot...................

[Bigmallly]

Still going strong:

[veggiechicken]

I have a few tomato plants still fruiting in the GH and a couple of rooted armpits in water that I'll pot up soon (when I remember)
Will try to keep something alive over winter.