RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
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Post By julia (Guest Post)
(08/19/2008)
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Try picking off all the branches that are not bearing fruit. That way all the nutrients will go to the fruits, and will get a lot more sunlight to ripen them.
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RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
In my experience they take a long time to ripen on the vine. Lots of people pick off the green ones, and let them ripen in the house. This doesn't really seem to affect the flavor much. Here in northern Sask, we have a short growing season, so have to do this with the last of our tomatoes all the time, to avoid frost. It is best to let them ripen in a cardboard box or bowl lined with paper towel, at room temp, or slightly cooler. Don't put them on the window sill. Don't cover with plastic or anything. Make sure they are dry, and dirt free so you don't get any mold.
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RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
I always found leaving tomatoes to ripen on the vine usually ended up with bugs/holes in them, So I have always removed them when they were the right size and let them ripen in my house, Always left them in a big pot , Went thru them every few days and removed the more riper ones to the top,. Some people has told me to put them in the window others say in a dark spot, I have tried both and I find neither is better then the other, So I just leave em wherever I find a spot in my house for them, They always ripen.
I don't use any insecticide on my Garden period, and I always have good crops every year.
Put up over 600 canned goods every year from my own garden, plus frozen vegs etc
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Request: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
Question: Our tomato plants have luxuriant growth and lots of green tomatoes but they are taking forever to ripen, and when they do, they're blotchy. They are growing in silty soil but I've put lots of compost into it, and I've been feeding them with Miracle Gro every two weeks. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Peter from Silver Spring, MD
Answer: Peter,
You could be seeing Graywall (also called Blotchy Ripening) on your tomatoes. This tomato malady usually develops on green tomatoes located near the interior of plants with a lot of dense foliage. Classic symptoms include a grayish appearance present on the outer skin of the tomato that is caused by a collapse of the inner wall tissue. If you cut the tomatoes open, you will also see greenish or brownish tissue internally, usually near the outer walls of the fruit. The tomatoes are slow to ripen, and when they do, they develop a blotchy appearance. Graywall is a bit of a mystery. Plant scientists are unsure exactly what causes this disease, but several theories abound. Graywall seems to occur more frequently during cloudy, cool, wet weather. It's also thought that high amounts of nitrogen can contribute to the problem, and soil containing adequate amounts of potassium may help reduce the likelihood of its occurrence. The best way to prevent it is to try to create the best growing conditions possible. Tomato plants should receive plenty of sun (including sunlight to their interior foliage). They also need to receive consistent water and fertilizer, meaning not too much, and not too little. Try reducing the amount of fertilizer you're using. If your soil is full of nutrient-rich compost, fertilizing them as often as every two weeks with Miracle Grow shouldn't be necessary. Next year you also might try growing cultivars known to be resistant to tobacco or tomato mosaic virus, both of which have been implicated in some cases of Graywall.
Ellen
Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com
Answers:
RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
I heard that hanging ripe bananas near tomatoes will speed up the ripening process (08/15/2006)
By Bashereddin
RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
Stop feeding them (Miracle Gro). Fertilizers promote leaf growth, to the detriment of fruiting. Your plants are putting all their effort into growing leaves and not fruit. (08/15/2006)
RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
Try pinching the suckers off (the parts of the plant that don't produce) that will get some shade off the tomatoes. pinch them back at the main stem. Don't be afraid to do this it will help your plant produce more and they will ripen faster. Throw all suckers out of your garden. (08/16/2006)
By chas
RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
Stop fertilizing the plants, once the flowers appear. Otherwise, you will just encourage foliage growth. Some tomato plants are determinate and some varieties are indeterminate. Meaning the indeterminate plants will continue to grow higher and higher. When this happens, snip off the top shoots to encourage the tomatoes to ripen.
Dorie
Algoma, WI (08/17/2006)
By Dorie
RE: Tomatoes Are Not Getting Ripe
When ours are big before they get blotchy spots, I pick them, twist the top of bring them in the house and wrap in newspaper. A few days later they are nice and bright red! (08/20/2006)
By granylou93
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