As the summer starts winding down, your tomato plants might be looking a little tired. You’ve spent the past few months enjoying the ripe, juicy fruit your plants have been churning out, but now, with cooler weather on the horizon, you might have noticed yellowing leaves, sprawling vines, and some remaining green tomatoes. But before you pull up your plants and toss them in the trash, there are a few gardening chores worth tackling before the end of tomato-growing season.
Because most homegrown tomatoes stop producing fruit once the first frost hits, according to Tracey Besemer, editor-in-chief and main contributor for online gardening hub Rural Sprout, it’s important to deal with your post-season plants as fall approaches, not after they’ve died. By tackling them before the temperatures drop, you’ll give next year’s garden a healthier start.
Of course, you’ll want to wrap up your harvest by grabbing any good tomatoes and even saving the seeds, but afterward, it’s all about cleanup. If you’re dealing with diseased plants, you’ll definitely want to toss them, but for healthy plants, add them to your compost pile. And finishing off by prepping the soil will get your garden ready for fall gardening or spring planting.
Here’s what to do with your tomato plants before first frost.
Use Up Your Harvest
Before you clip and dispose of your tomato plant, you’ll want to harvest all the good fruit that’s hanging on there. After gathering the green tomatoes, you can ripen them off the vine by tossing them in a paper bag with a banana or, as Besemer suggests, wrapping them in newspaper and storing them somewhere between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But you can also make the most of your haul by frying green tomatoes or chopping them up for salsas.
Cut the Base
Once you’ve picked all the remaining green tomatoes from the vines, you’ll want to clear your plant next (just make sure it’s no longer producing fruit). Instead of pulling the plant with your hands, use a pair of sharp, clean pruners to snip the main stem at or just above the soil line. Since the roots will eventually decompose, you can leave them beneath the soil. “By leaving the root system in the ground, you allow it to slowly break down, adding much-needed organic matter back to your soil each year,” Besemer says.
Inspect for Diseases
With the above-ground part of the plant, check to see if there are any signs of tomato pests or diseases. This will help you determine whether to discard or compost the stems and vines. If you spot leaves with tiny black dots, dark splotches with yellow rings, or curled edges, or if you notice stems with sunken spots, you’re probably dealing with a diseased plant.
Dispose of the Plant
If your tomato plant is disease-free, chop up the above-ground portion and add the pieces to your compost pile. When they break down, these plants release vital nutrients into the soil, so they’ll keep your garden healthy. But if your plant is showing any signs of fungal infections or insect infestations, throw it in the garbage to reduce the spread of diseases.
Scrub the Support System
After composting or discarding your tomato plant, it’s time to move onto its support system. First, pull out your cages, stakes, or trellises and shake off the dirt. Then, with a sponge or stiff brush and a bucket of warm, soapy water, scrub away the soil, plant matter, and grime stuck on the surface. If the plant had any signs of disease, be sure to apply a disinfectant. Once you’ve washed the items, hose them down and let them fully dry before putting them in storage.
Prep and Protect the Soil
Because tomatoes are heavy feeders, you’ll want to replenish the depleted nutrients by adding organic compost or fertilizer to the garden bed. Besemer also likes stirring up the top few inches of soil to prevent overwintering pests. But no matter how you prep your soil, an essential post-season task is protecting it with mulch or a crop cover. “The biggest mistake I see gardeners make when cleaning up their tomato plants is leaving the soil bare during the winter,” Besemer notes. Without mulching or covering it, your soil will become more susceptible to winter erosion and spring weeds.
With a little end-of-season cleanup now, you'll have a tidier garden and a fresh start for next year’s tomato season.
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
