Green toms

[monkeyboy]

Three gardener's delight plants. I've nipped the tops off and did my best to limit leaf growth. Lots of toms but sadly still all green. I take it they would have ripened in the heat, if we'd had any, or even in a greenhouse (they're sat outside completely naked).

Given it's mid Sept, do I opt to leave them out for a bit longer? Could I do anything to speed up the ripening process? Or do I harvest and leave them inside a brown paper bag and hope they slowly ripen?

[veggiechicken]

There's green and green!
Tiny dark green ones won't ripen and should be removed.
Larger toms that are starting to turn light green have a chance.
Full size pale green/red toms should be OK.................unless we have a cold snap/blight.

[MillieBee2]

Mine are the same, plenty of toms but still all green! I have most of them in a greenhouse, one plant outside however, in a sunny sheltered yard....that one has ripe toms!
Think I'll be bringing the green ones in soon.

[Kirk]

Same with mine mainly green, have had a few red ones but not really that many.
Even the yellow ones are remaining green and they look the right size to pick and eat - except the lack of being the right colour.

Will leave mine for a few weeks, cannot lose anything I suppose.
Last year was much the same, except I think I had more of the green ones.

[Yasai]

Yesterday evening, I picked all of the tomatoes that had any blush of colour on them at all. Will have another go ‘round this evening and will probably pick the pale green ones, too, and leave them to ripen indoors. I haven’t been watering them very much lately, not since I chopped half their leaves off... so I’m worried that the rain that is forecast for the next week or more may cause them to split.

[rary]

You could always try hanging a ripe banana on the tomato plants as thats how you can ripen them when placed in a drawer

[Mark_Riga]

All depends how sheltered from frosts they are and when the first frost is. Last year I picked tomatoes all through October clearing the last ones on 17 November. These were in a greenhouse.

[monkeyboy]

With all the wet weather we're having, the slugs are out in force and eating my toms. I think I'll have to pick and bring them in whilst green and let them ripen indoors.

[Kirk]

You could always try hanging a ripe banana on the tomato plants as thats how you can ripen them when placed in a drawer

All bananas are chopped in 3 or 4 and baked with maple syrup and brown sugar, then taken out and covered in spray cream.

None have ever escaped out the door into the garden, none ever will.

And concerning green tomatoes I found a tomato website where I can specify Early, Late etc and see what varieties come up.

So next year it is Early ones I grow, or try to grow.

https://www.tomatobomo.com/en/
If interested.

[MarkPelican]

In the past I've had tomatoes in the Greenhouse until early December. This year all my plants have died off and I've got grey mould so its pick and green tomato chutney for me.

[farendwoman]

In the past I've had tomatoes in the Greenhouse until early December. This year all my plants have died off and I've got grey mould so its pick and green tomato chutney for me.

Yum - you’ll love that later.

[MillieBee2]

Went and got all mine in today, they're not going to ripen on the plants. They're in a drawer lined in newspapers now. I won't make chutney, don't like it.

[monkeyboy]

Went and got all mine in today,

Ditto. Got mine in yesterday.

Gutted because this year's been the best in terms of tomato development but they either didn't ripen or got eaten by slugs before I could get to them.

I need a strategy for next year.

[Jungle Jane]

The remainders of my tomatoes are ripening slowly,I noticed there’s a few black cherry to pick today. I don’t wait till they’re properly ripened,if they’re changing colour & a bit green still,finish ripening them on a sunny windowsill. Slugs have never eaten my tomatoes,French marigolds next to the plants help. French marigolds everywhere,amongst all the plants (about 50 for me) is really beneficial,worth it in the end. When you dead head them,break the heads in half,scatter the seeds on the bed,let more little plants pop up everywhere.

[match]

It's amazing how well green tomatoes will ripen up if left in a cool dry place, spread out on some newspaper so they're not touching.

We pick any unripe ones, wash them and dry them well, then put them in cardboard boxes in our spare room (usually around 15C) and leave them for a week to a month. A couple will split/go mouldy, but the rest ripen nicely!

Here's some before and after pics from our latest batch (a week apart):