FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello! While I was eating breakfast this morning I thought “why can’t we grow tomatoes and other annuals as house plants?” I’d say most are that we bring them to the US compared to their tropical rain forest where they usually live. But what’s wrong with extending some of these annual CP’s lives. Could it be done?

Sure, they can be grow, though you need some good lighting. I overwintered a half-dozen pepper plants last year...jalapneos, poblanos, and one Sugar Rush Cream chili. They all grew through the winter, the poblanos made a crop in the winter and all the peppers made peppers in the spring. I could tell they were getting older, though. I did not re-pot them in the spring which I think would have helped them tremendously. With tomatoes I would think repotting in fresh soil would be even more important as they are more gluttonous than peppers when it comes to being fed. BUT...I grew the peppers all outdoors, would wheel them into our open-ended garage when freezes were predicted and then haul them back out when things warmed up. They spent upwards of two weeks in the dim garage during the winter. Tomatoes are perennials such as peppers are. I'm not sure I'll try carrying them over again this winter...we'll see. I might thin them down to one or two plants this year as I'm beginning to ease off of my vegetable gardening.

So sure, you could extend the lives of the plants...they would give you a jump-start in the spring, too! Just be aware they will need attention...and good lighting...and freeze protection.

why not? I love these flowers.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 12:06 pm They spent upwards of two weeks in the dim garage during the winter. Tomatoes are perennials such as peppers are. I'm not sure I'll try carrying them over again this winter...we'll see. I might thin them down to one or two plants this year as I'm beginning to ease off of my vegetable gardening.

Tomatoes are so easy to propagate from cuttings... isn't it easier to bring a few snips inside for the winter rather than save the whole plant? i'm debating whether to save my peppers over the winter... the plants I saved last winter were too weak to produce this year.

elaineo, cuttings would probably work just as well but to be honest, tomatoes sprout and grow so fast from seed why worry carrying them through the cold, dark winter? I will say this about my carried-over pepper plants...though they made peppers the peppers were "different". Not sure where to put my finger, the leaves were notably smaller, and the plants just didn't seem as healthy as a "this year's" plant (as you noted, too). Even the fruit tasted different. But, it is a good way to get some early vegetables, even if they are a little different.

@Intheswamp I live in a place with cool summers... it is a challenge to get tomatoes through the seedling stage
BTW @Camden M there are some dwarf tomato varieties that do well as house plants. Sunflowers would not do as well, because they grow a deep tap root.

Cool summers? ...let the rootin' begin!!!!!!!!!!!!

I normally start my tomato seedlings between the middle of February and the middle of March and plant them out roughly six to eight weeks later (I like BIG seedlings<g>). I germinate the seeds in sytrofoam cups sitting in Sterilite containers with plastic sheet loosely covering them...first sign of green I snatch the plastic sheet (usually a recycled bag that ice came in<g>) off and put *all* the cups under lights to finish popping. The cups are put as close to the lights as I can get them. I have a small five or six inch fan set to my light timer to insure good airflow. Seems to work well with no lost seedlings. By time I plant them in the garden the roots have filled a 20oz cup and from root-tips to top-of-plant is over 12 inches. I seldom lose a seedling. Having said that, I'm probably not going to be growing much of anything this year. Seems the mind is willing but not sure the body can handle it.

Camden M wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 11:45 am Hello! While I was eating breakfast this morning I thought “why can’t we grow tomatoes and other annuals as house plants?” Could it be done?

There are a number of factors to consider.
First and foremost, is the plant in question a true annual or a tender perennial? If it is a tender perennial like tomatoes or peppers, then, yes, it can be done but there are other issues I will expound upon later. If, instead, it is a true annual, then it is generally an exercise in futility to try and overwinter them. True annuals have a short lifespan -- typically less than one year as it is more accurate to say one growing season. Helianthus annuus, the most commonly grown type of sunflower is one such. True annuals generally blooms themselves to death which is why they give a more spectacular and longer "show" than perennials. Perennials have a shorter blooming season since they have to store up enough energy to live to bloom another year.

Another big factor is providing sufficient light. Providing "full sun" for 6+ hours for a plant as large as tomato plants or pepper plants is not something many folks can easily do indoors. For those who can't, plants which are weak and etiolated will be inevitable.

Making sure there is very good air movement -- which can reduce mold/fungi issues and helps to create sturdier plants -- can be a challenge in the home.

Without the use of pesticides, many of these types of plants seem to be especially prone to spidermites and other pests. (From what I have read, this is largely due to the lack of pathogens and predators which would otherwise keep the pests in check, as well as a plant's defense systems being weakened. )

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:43 pm elaineo, cuttings would probably work just as well but to be honest, tomatoes sprout and grow so fast from seed why worry carrying them through the cold, dark winter?

If one can provide satisfactory conditions, one advantage-- particularly for those of living in areas with short growing seasons -- would be to be able to get a strong jump start on the next growing season. For example, here in Michigan, growing beefsteak tomatoes from seed or very young plants is a waste of time if one doesn't have a greenhouse simply because out growing season is too short.

DragonsEye wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:55 pm

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:43 pm elaineo, cuttings would probably work just as well but to be honest, tomatoes sprout and grow so fast from seed why worry carrying them through the cold, dark winter?

If one can provide satisfactory conditions, one advantage-- particularly for those of living in areas with short growing seasons -- would be to be able to get a strong jump start on the next growing season. For example, here in Michigan, growing beefsteak tomatoes from seed or very young plants is a waste of time if one doesn't have a greenhouse simply because out growing season is too short.

If you have the ability to carry over plants from the previous year then you should have the ability to start seeds early, shouldn't you? To have beefsteaks large enough to produce then the carried-over plants will be large...so, couldn't you start early and grow large transplants from seed. Either way, you have to start the producing season with reasonably large plants. Six of one, half a dozen of another?

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:05 pm If you have the ability to carry over plants from the previous year then you should have the ability to start seeds early, shouldn't you? To have beefsteaks large enough to produce then the carried-over plants will be large...so, couldn't you start early and grow large transplants from seed. Either way, you have to start the producing season with reasonably large plants. Six of one, half a dozen of another?

Not necessarily. It again comes down to if one can provide good growing conditions and has sufficient space. Toms need a lot of strong light and warmer temps. Here in the Great White North, winter sun is very weak and clear sunny days rarely seen. Strong sun-lovers like toms would require very good supplemental lighting and decent air movement to grow strong, sturdy plants. Then, too, to save $ most northerners keep their home thermostats set to daytime temps in the low 70's to upper 60's. Such temps are far from optimal from a tom's viewpoint. As a result, one isn't likely to get vigorous growth and also runs a higher risk of damping off or other fungal problems.

Then there is the space issue. To get a decent sized plant to put outside, one would have to have the space for a few fairly sizable plants ... at least 1.5-2 ft tall, or, ideally, more. That amounts to a fair amount of "real estate" indoors that can be difficult for folks to provide.

Having a short growing season often dictates what plants many northerns choose. Where my folks live, planting tender plants like toms isn't done until Memorial Day at the earliest ... and even that can be risky. The hotter temps favored by toms for good growth generally doesn't kick in until late June/early July. By September, temps typically start cooling down and as a result toms and other heat lovers slow down or stop growing. For toms like beef steaks which require a longer season for growth, fruit set, and ripening this 2-2.5 month optimal season is too short to get much out of them. As one travels further north the growing season quickly dwindles even more.

I understand the shorter growing season. But, we were discussing carrying over plants through the winter versus starting seeds early.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 24, 2022 5:51 pm I understand the shorter growing season. But, we were discussing carrying over plants through the winter versus starting seeds early.

For established plants, I throw plastic over them to protect from light freezes. Seedlings are fragile, I lose a lot in the transition between "beer cup" and "in the ground". I am probably setting the seedlings out too early, but I only have 1 grow rack and I also wanna fit corn and cucumber in there too :b

Neither method is great, because the plants I carry over are weak and unproductive. So, I stick to cherry tomatoes and determinate varieties. I'm also trying out tamarillos (gross) and tree tomatoes (takes a couple years to produce)

Try some Cupid cherry hybrids. The seeds aren't cheap but the plants produce a ton of oblong, very tasty cherry tomatoes. Very disease resistant, too.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:38 pm Try some Cupid cherry hybrids. The seeds aren't cheap but the plants produce a ton of oblong, very tasty cherry tomatoes. Very disease resistant, too.

Just wanted to add, the Cupids are nondeterminate and fairly large plants (not determinate size). They will make tomatoes through the heat of the summer until frost.

@Intheswamp, wanna do a seed swap? If so, let me know and I will send you my seed list