That's a happy and well wrapped tomato! How do you harvest it now?

Sweet pea vine as in peas? Peas are supposed to be OK companion plants with tomatoes. If I recall, peas (and beans) don't need or fix or something nitrogen, which tomatoes like. Not sure if that applies to sweet pea vine though.

There are areas where the wrapping overlaps and I can reach in to pick the fruit. It's not a pea vegetable plant it's a flowering vine plant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_pea

Here's what I got yesterday.

Sweet peas are legumes, and so they do fix nitrogen in the soil. But you won't get much out of LIVING legumes. The correct strategy is to plant the legumes, and then plant something else there the next season. Just about anything planted where legumes had been planted will benefit from them. There is no other reason why tomatoes and sweet peas would be bosom buddies.

Thank you! That makes sense, very much appreciate the insight.

Cherry tomato plants are very hardy and often outlast other types of tomatoes. The sweet pea vine is nothing more than a benign neighbor.

How long can it go? Is it possible it will make it a full year growing and producing fruit?

Indeed it is. I am just shocked at how tall this thing has grown...it's over 7' now. And it's thriving very nicely even with these cold overnight temps here. mid 40's at night. The structure I place around it seems to be doing the trick.

I should say that wrapping a plant in transparent plastic doesn't make for much of a greenhouse. The transparent roof of a real greenhouse allows sunlight in that heats up everything in it, including the floor. That's a lot of heat that is absorbed, and is gradually released at night. But a wrapped plant has almost nothing wrapped with it except air, and that air can hold very little heat. So it's going to get pretty cold in there on a cold night.

I used to live in Santa Cruz, and I'm surprised that you have a tomato plant that is fruiting. As you say, nighttime temps there ought to be around 40-45F right now, which should prevent fruiting. As gargengal48 says, no reason you shouldn't be able to keep it alive, though, as long as it doesn't freeze. Don't be shocked about how big it is. Cherries will easily grow to 10-12 feet. Happens every year for me.

I’ve actually stuck my hand inside during the day, and it‘s definitely holding heat. I didn’t completely seal it off so that it can get breath a bit. It’s all an interesting and new “experiment” of sorts for me...so, always learning. I appreciate everyone’s insigh.

In the daytime, with sun shining on it, it'll get warm inside. Might even get hot. My point was that at night, it won't. Unlike for a real greenhouse, the nighttime temperature inside will essentially be the air temperature outside. Many people wrap their plants to protect them from a nighttime freeze. That won't work.

I am, however, impressed with your December productivity!

Agree with Dan. Even in a high tunnel, the day time temperatures will get quite high. But after the sun sets it only takes about an hour to become the same as the outside temperatures, unless there is a heat source. It will help keep frost from developing on the leaves. (that can develop in temperatures between 32 and 38 degrees.) I have found that the damage is worse where the plastic actually touches the leaves.

interesting contraption. Here's something off the shelf you might find interesting. SUNORGREEN 4 Tier Mini Greenhouse With Sturdy Portable Shelves , COVER AND ROLL-UP ZIPPER DOOR - Walmart.com - Walmart.com

I have one of these and I added wheels to it for my balcony. You could probably bury the legs .

That's a nice structure but it won't keep things warm at night. Surrounding the plants with transparent plastic makes things warmer in the daytime, keeps the air humid, and prevents wind damage. But nothing in there is actually *holding* heat. What you need to keep things warm at night is to warm a large thermal mass up during the daytime. A real greenhouse warms the foundation or the ground underneath.

If, in that structure, you load it up with, say, bricks, maybe for the plants to sit on, or perhaps large jugs of water, then you'll actually be holding onto heat that will be slowly released at night. A pile of warm bricks will keep the temperature higher than the outside air temperature at night.

I should note that the text that is posted with this item is mistaken in some respects - "The compact size means you can enjoy this on balconies, patios, the smallest of yards, enable your plant and flowers to absorb more sunlight and provide enough room for their growth. Can keep warm and protect your plants from the cold and snowstorm to provide more comfortable space for your plant nursery."

No, your plants won't absorb more sunlight with it. That's wrong. In no way shape or form is more sunlight hitting your plants because there is plastic around them. If anything, they'll get less, because they're sitting on top of each other. It will make your plants warmer in the daytime, when the sun is out, but it will NOT protect them from cold at night. It certainly would keep snow off of them, though!

So I just harvested the cherry tomato plant and am now picking multiple quarts of fruit. Check out this video. https://youtu.be/CRVaLYEW93M

I had one of those mini greenhouses for a few years. The source I used at night to keep it warm inside was to put a crock pot on the bottom shelf. Plug it in and keep it on low. But it will get humid inside so I would open it during the day to let out some humidity and a chance for the interior to dry out.. It worked. Now I am using old timey Christmas lights inside a different type structure. Keeps it real warm inside if covered with plastic. I actually had to open the plastic because it actually got too hot inside for my lettuce.

That's smart. using a crock pot and Christmas lights! Old timey lights are essential, because modern LED lights don't make much heat. Humidity is good, but I guess the problem is that if you get condensation on the inside of the plastic, it'll block some of the sunlight.