Ripening tomatoes

[bikermike]

If my plants are not behaving themselves, I find threatening them invariably works.

You are Crowley from Good Omens AICM 5 courgettes
https://goodomenslexicon.org/article...s-houseplants/

[rary]

My tomatoes are slowly going red but having a look through some of the posts makes me wonder if I made a mistake removing some leaves earlier on as I am beginning to think the leaves help shade the fruits on very bright days and this year has been exceptionally good, so will do things a bit different next year especially as we will have more sunshine

[Plot70]

It is the lack of aircraft trails in the sky.
They were stopping global warming.
This year is the first time I have had painful sun burn on the top of my head.
The rest of me is not painful but the tan might cause mistakes if national security is involved.

[BeatriceCallan]

When I had this problem a few years ago I tried a few methods. With a part of my tomatoes, I've cut all leaves and lifted only tomatoes. It was ripped in four days, a good result I think. The other part I stopped watering and it ripped in a week. Tomatoes that I left, as usual, were ripped in two weeks I think.

[Jungle Jane]

Rary I find tomatoes grow fine without leaf shade,they can get greenback when they get too much light & heat I think,my tomatoes have never had a problem like that with the direct sun & it gets hot here in Essex. Peppers like a bit of leaf shade. A watched tomato never ripens

[MarkPelican]

It depends what you mean by "reducing watering". I water mine at most once a day (in the evening) into trays (I grow in MFBs). If there's any water in the tray it gets missed. I think the variety makes a bigger difference to how soon you get ripe fruit than almost anything else. My experience is that Potato Leafed Indeterminate varieties come first (this year Bloody Butcher, Quedlinger Fruhe Liebe and a potato leafed F2 from Mountain Magic), and Maskotka and Kibits Ukranian for the Determinate.

I've yet to see anything from most of the beefsteaks (except Summer Cider which seems to have been very early this year).

Weight of fruit much the same as normal.

[bramble]

I have to say all my tomatoes were great this year.
Summer Cider were early for me ad well.
Also got a great crop from Berkley Tye Dye, Orange Banana and Black Icicle.
My first time growing all these varieties.

[Snoop Puss]

I have to say all my tomatoes were great this year.
Summer Cider were early for me ad well.
Also got a great crop from Berkley Tye Dye, Orange Banana and Black Icicle.
My first time growing all these varieties.

Bramble, what did you make of the Orange Banana? I was going to cut back on tomato plants this year, but I've been given some seeds. A bit churlish not to grow them, but I don't fancy going to all the growing and watering effort for something that's a bit meh.

Thanks.

[Ms-T]

I too grow Orange Banana and Black Icicle. every year. I like them alot.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, Ms-T. Sounds like I'll be growing them, then.

[Ms-T]

Forgot to say Orange Banana need a lot of water so as not to get BER.

[bramble]

Snoop, Orange Banana grew well for me .A fine big tomato with lots of fruits on.
The flavour was a little on the Boland side.
I used them for sauce.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, Bramble. Mr Snoop seems very keen to give them a go, so we will.

I have to admit, I'm a bit lazy and don't make sauce or bottle my own toms but I do freeze them whole for baking. The colour looks very dramatic, so Orange Banana would be just the job for that. 'Tomate frito' (literally 'fried tomato', sold in jars) is a popular product here and one of the supermarkets sells its own-brand which is amazing. 'Epic', according to one of the lads who visits with his parents. It's not that expensive for what it is, so I tend to cheat and just use that. I don't think I could make anything as good.