After harvesting the fruit for a few weeks, are you wondering what to do with your garden ? What to do with these tomato plants? Actually, you should know that tomato plants are perennials that can be grown as annuals.
In growing jargon, tomatoes are nicknamed soft perennials because they wilt when temperatures begin to drop. In other words, they weaken when frost is around the corner.
When is the end of the tomato season declared?
Along with tomatoes and peppers, sweet potatoes are also among the tender perennials. This means that they die when frost makes its appearance . It is therefore necessary to monitor the temperatures and when they drop from 4 to 10°C, it is time to tell yourself that the end of the season for tomato plants is coming .
What should I do to care for my tomato plants at the end of the season?
If you haven’t harvested tomatoes yet, know that all the plant’s energy goes into producing the fruit. For this reason, reduce the water intake and maintain the fertilizer to avoid destabilizing the plant.
If you want to ripen tomatoes faster, the best method is to remove the entire plant from the ground. Then, hang it upside down in a cellar or garage without light.
Also, you can pick green fruits and place them in a paper bag with an apple to make them ripen quickly. The apple plays a fundamental role in this ripening phase, as it releases ethylene gas to accelerate the ripening of the tomatoes.
Some spread unripe tomatoes on newspaper to wait for them to ripen. Once the tomatoes are harvested, it must be kept in mind that the sugar stops increasing.
What to do with tomato plants once the fruit has been harvested?
When you put up your tomato plants, you might think of burying them in the garden and thinking that when tomato plants go to waste, they can provide extra nutrition for new plants . Consider that when tomato plants go to waste, they can provide extra nutrition for new plants . However, this is not the best solution.
If wilted plants have been infected with diseases or insects, you can pass them on to next season’s crops. The best thing to do is add tomato plants to your home compost .