Replenish soil without rotating crops

[martoosaat]

Hi,

As I've posted elsewhere (mostly in the tomato forum), I've a container box (~0.78 cubic feet) with a tomato plant coming out of it
Living in Sunny San Diego, can I keep this guy going throughout the year? (I know that it does get to 50 degrees F every once in a while , too cold for fruit) Or should I simply plant a new guy every year?

If I can avoid replanting every year, then how can I replenish the nutrients in the soil?

Grace and peace,
Michael

[bullthistle]

Just add manure or compost in the fall. Obviously one tomato was not picked and allowed to re-seed.

[rainbowgardener]

Check some of hendi_alex's posts in tomato forum. He's in NC I think, not as warm as you, but warmer and longer growing season than me. So he can put his tomatoes out earlier. He talks about starting new tomato plants for the late season. He says that by fall the plants are getting a bit depleted and he gets better production by starting with new plants.

I'm not sure how hot SanDiego gets in summer, being right on the ocean. If you have hot summers, your tomato is likely to be getting frazzled. Tomatoes like warm, they don't really like HOT. So you might do well to start with a new tomato plant in Aug to grow through the winter. That would be a good time to renew your soil also.

[Kisal]

You might be able to keep the same plant going, but in South America, which is where the tomato originated, they are perennials. You may need to allow the plant to die back to the ground in the fall, as most perennials do, and wait for the vines to sprout anew in the spring. It might be a fun experiment for you.