When Is Enough Enough?

[Farmer_Gyles]

I'm still waiting for my first red tomato .... after sowing 24 toms, I have 3 plants with a total of maybe 20 green toms on them .... total disaster this year ....
If they don't ripen soon, I'll pick them and make a small green tomato chutney

[Penellype]

That happened to me three years in a row before I finally decided that I had to use a synthetic/nylon string, rather than the natural jute type. Haven't had a problem since, plus I now just "coil up" the strings on the roof-wire they hang from, and reconnect to them [and readjust for tightness] next season



Do you not have a problem supporting the weight of fruit on the sideshoots? That's one of the main reasons I train them strictly as a single cordon (another being to keep them "thin" so that they are not decreasing the airflow around the plants, in general).



My view is that it is better to leave on the plant for as long as possible, removed for ripening is fine at the end of the season, when frost threatens, but prior to that aren't you compromising flavour by picking early?

I will use nylon string next year - learning all the time

I tie up the sideshoots to the nearest cane, so they effectively act like a series of cordons.

I'm picking the outdoor tomatoes as fast as I can, partly because we have just had a "Smith period" here, and already had blight in the area, partly because the nights are forecast to be rather chilly this week and partly because I find that Sungold ripens perfectly well indoors and tastes great. I haven't noticed any deterioration in flavour of the Shirleys, which are being rescued from snail attack in the greenhouse. I can't speak for the flavour of chocolate cherry as this is the first year I have grown them, but I must admit I am disappointed with the couple I have tasted so far.

[Bigmallly]

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all who have contributed to this thread.......Not conclusive but really interesting, thanks.

[Bill HH]

I have had a much better year re ripening because of the good summer and because I got them going as early as possible. I strip off nearly all the leaves at this time of year not just to let in more light but because I get tomatoe moth caterpillars and without leaves they are bugxxerd. I think all my gardeners delight and sungold will ripen, maybe a few Shirley will need taking indoors. The good thing living in Torquay is that frost is very rare so I have no need to rush.
I have a lot going on in my greenhouse Tomatoes, cucumbers and Christmas spuds, If I left all the leaves on the toms everything else would be starved of light.

[Bal]

I chopped of all the leaves on my toms first thing this morning, they look very bald, how the do is any bodies guess. Having said that OH picked all the ripe ones yesterday, and then we picked some more today. Is that a coincidence or are they ripening faster🙀

[brownfingers]

Mine are a mixed bunch. Some have all gone red, with no green left at all, some are half and half. Some have ripened altogether and have been eaten or frozen or given away and the plant disposed of. Some are still all green. I've got some moneymaker, gardeners, alicante, and roma that are all still all green! And that's in the GH!

My marketmore cuke in the greenhouse has finishe and been removed. It wasn't as productive as I expected. The outdoor one is still in full flow and full of cukes.

[Bigmallly]

One Week Later!

Well, a week has past and although ripening is still pretty slow, I have noticed that the plants with the leaves removed have ripen slightly better than the untouched plants so I'll be removing the remainder of the leaves. It is also piece of mind that no disease on the leaves will be present.

.................

[Bren In Pots]

I've been taking more leaves off my toms they're not bare yet though but getting there.

[TerryS]

I know this is the advice that has been given for eons, but it has always caused me to question how it works.

Strip lower leaves off to let air circulate around fruit and reduce / prevent disease

Strip all the leaves off the plant so that it concentrates on ripening the fruit.

Where does the plant gets its energy from in order to do that? or doesn't it need the powerhouse of photosynthesis in order to do that?

I suppose it would be easy enough for me to strip half the plants in the greenhouse, there are 18 of them, and see-for-myself ... (although this year they are very manky, not well looked after (other projects / distractions have got in the way this year) so might not be my best season to make the experiment)

I followed montys advice and the results have been great, tomatoes are ripening lovely now


Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum

[Thelma Sanders]

I always understood that you left the top set of leaves on, to carry on feeding the growing fruits.

[Bigmallly]

That's true Thelma if you want the fruits to continue growing. I don't want them to carry on growing, just to ripen..............