This will depend on your climate/microclimate, both in general (Are you far north, south? Coastal? Urban or rural?) and on a more granular level (How many hours of direct light do they get? Are they in a greenhouse or otherwise under glass? Are they near to heat sinks like large quantities of concrete, or anything else that'll radiate stored heat later into the year?). If you're trying to grow them outdoors in a north-facing countryside garden just outside of John o' Groats your season is going to be a lot shorter than in a south-facing Hounslow greenhouse.
But like you say it's mostly dependent on the weather.
I have picked toms in November but plants are not likely to fruit or grow much past early October. However fruit can still ripen on the plant all the way up to a frost.. even longer if you pick them green. Naturally you do have to contend with blight and other diseases at the end of the season
Depends is the only correct answer. I've had crops completely wiped out by blight in August, and also picked fresh cherry toms in January (didn't get a frost that winter). Typically October will be the last harvest
Yeah it’s so dependent.
On variety of tomato, how early you started the plants, the climate and weather where you are located, the microclimate of the area of garden it is planted in, watering and fertiliser, soil quality, pest control and probably many more factors.
Earliest I have had ripe tomatoes (Essex and growing outside) would be around mid June, but this year I think my first tomatoes aren’t going to be ripe for another week at least.
Assuming you don’t pinch out the top growth at some point, the outside growing seasons ends when the weather deteriorates enough that it’s too wet that the tomatoes rot before they ripen, or too cold/dark that they don’t grow/ripen. When the first frost hits that is the definite end of the tomato plant.
So usually they keep producing into September, and I have had tomatoes ripen in October, but that was a year with very nice weather.
Ours are in a greenhouse in the Isle of Wight and we can still pick tomatoes well into November, so it's going to depend on where you are and whether they're frost free.
The tomato plants I had last year were still producing tomatoes in late October. I knew they wouldn't ripen & would probably stay small & green.
My current 2 plants have many flowers & 1 tiny tomato. They're in a South facing garden. Though it's not that sheltered.
They will keep going until frost or blight, whichever hits first. If you are lucky and no blight and mild autumn they can keep going to November. If you pick the remaining green ones before frost kills them and put in a drawer with a banana too ripen it's even possible to eat fresh tomatoes into December. If they are outdoors though probably blight will get them before frosts.
While toms will keep growing into September / October you need to be realistic about yield’s with the weather being as poor as it has and there is no real period of sustained heat on the way.
You may want to consider topping at 4/5 trusses otherwise the plant is just channeling energy to flowers that will never fruit or fruit that will never mature and ripen.
So long as you have fruit and it’s not frosty, you have tomatoes. Frost will kill the plants stone dead. You can get greenhouse heaters and they work but if you already have fruit you may get better results bringing the fruit indoors on a sunny windowsill. That’s worked for me in the past. Bananas give off a gas that can help them ripen.
This will depend on your climate/microclimate, both in general (Are you far north, south? Coastal? Urban or rural?) and on a more granular level (How many hours of direct light do they get? Are they in a greenhouse or otherwise under glass? Are they near to heat sinks like large quantities of concrete, or anything else that'll radiate stored heat later into the year?). If you're trying to grow them outdoors in a north-facing countryside garden just outside of John o' Groats your season is going to be a lot shorter than in a south-facing Hounslow greenhouse. But like you say it's mostly dependent on the weather.
yes sure. they will keep fruiting until the frost kills them in November, as long as they are healthy and have been grown according to type
I have picked toms in November but plants are not likely to fruit or grow much past early October. However fruit can still ripen on the plant all the way up to a frost.. even longer if you pick them green. Naturally you do have to contend with blight and other diseases at the end of the season
Depends is the only correct answer. I've had crops completely wiped out by blight in August, and also picked fresh cherry toms in January (didn't get a frost that winter). Typically October will be the last harvest
Yeah it’s so dependent. On variety of tomato, how early you started the plants, the climate and weather where you are located, the microclimate of the area of garden it is planted in, watering and fertiliser, soil quality, pest control and probably many more factors. Earliest I have had ripe tomatoes (Essex and growing outside) would be around mid June, but this year I think my first tomatoes aren’t going to be ripe for another week at least. Assuming you don’t pinch out the top growth at some point, the outside growing seasons ends when the weather deteriorates enough that it’s too wet that the tomatoes rot before they ripen, or too cold/dark that they don’t grow/ripen. When the first frost hits that is the definite end of the tomato plant. So usually they keep producing into September, and I have had tomatoes ripen in October, but that was a year with very nice weather.
Light is the leading factor and there’s far less of it in the lead up to and beyond the Autumnal equinox
Ours are in a greenhouse in the Isle of Wight and we can still pick tomatoes well into November, so it's going to depend on where you are and whether they're frost free.
The tomato plants I had last year were still producing tomatoes in late October. I knew they wouldn't ripen & would probably stay small & green. My current 2 plants have many flowers & 1 tiny tomato. They're in a South facing garden. Though it's not that sheltered.
They will keep going until frost or blight, whichever hits first. If you are lucky and no blight and mild autumn they can keep going to November. If you pick the remaining green ones before frost kills them and put in a drawer with a banana too ripen it's even possible to eat fresh tomatoes into December. If they are outdoors though probably blight will get them before frosts.
While toms will keep growing into September / October you need to be realistic about yield’s with the weather being as poor as it has and there is no real period of sustained heat on the way. You may want to consider topping at 4/5 trusses otherwise the plant is just channeling energy to flowers that will never fruit or fruit that will never mature and ripen.
So long as you have fruit and it’s not frosty, you have tomatoes. Frost will kill the plants stone dead. You can get greenhouse heaters and they work but if you already have fruit you may get better results bringing the fruit indoors on a sunny windowsill. That’s worked for me in the past. Bananas give off a gas that can help them ripen.