Perennial tomatoes and peppers

Eggplant too! I have the advantage of living in the desert southwest where winters are mild, but I live in a fairly unpopulated area on dirt roads, so the winters can see subzero overnight temps and frost is not unknown either. I have had some good luck keeping some plants alive through the winter by letting them grow wild at the end of the season and trimming them back in January-February. I have had tomatoes and peppers that are 3 years old and keep producing fruit. Here are some shots of the plants this afternoon. As you can see, they are already setting fruit. The week of 90+ degree weather we had in March may have something to do with that, but I digress. Some of the tomatoes are long stalks that were growing downward. A little string and gentle turning has made them upright again.

Your plants look beautiful.  They look like you keep them trimmed and they are getting great nutrients.

Do you use compost tea?

What variety of tomatoes do you plant?

We also, keep tomatoes and peppers going almost all year.

Instead of pruning them, dear hubby gets tired of the vines and buys new ones in the spring. He knows that is not necessary.

The problem we have is that peppers just don't do well here.  My opinion is alkaline well water.

That is probably why he also gets new plants.

There is indeed hope for a perennial tomato. Some of the promiscuous tomatoes that I have been working with can freeze to the ground, and then re-sprout. Some of them are much more cold tolerant that domestic tomatoes.

From here:

https://permies.com/t/162858/Landrace-tomatoes#1277407

We have kept peppers up to 3 years, Datils and Tabascos. For our area we usually will get better harvest from newly started plants each year.

We have too hot and humid summers and some freezes each winter but... have been able to keep my favorite tomato plant going many years by rooting tomato suckers every summer to keep in some shade, then again before freezing to bring inside.  We plant lots of tomatoes for sauce and eating but mostly determinate so we can get large harvest before heat sets in, then starting another round in august/september for canning.  Keeping my big indeterminate heirloom going so long has been a wonderful treat each year; true to type.

Not sure how a true perennial tomato would work here, they will get 8-10 ft in 4 months. Maybe with severe pruning...