Topic: Tomatoes not ripening

[tim]

I quote -

Not a sauce but a great favourite in our house. Pack tomatoes into a clean steralised jar. Fill to brim with vodka. Seal put in a cupboard and forget for at least 3 months. The tomatoes make faboulous snacks for parties and use the tomato vodka for making bloody marys

[Anne Robertson]

Thanks Tim, is it best to use cherry tomatoes?
I've just bought a £3 bottle of vodka back from hols. so wouldn't feel so bad using that. My favorite drink after home made wine is a decent bloody Mary.

[tim]

I'm just a bystander here, but I would go for cherries.

[Garden Manager]

Has anyone had any ripe outdoor tomatoes yet? I spotted two red ones the other day.

I am picking indoor AND out Robert!

Tim - I can match your first big 'pick'. We have been eating them, had two batches of soup plus chutney made out of them. And still there is a significant quantity on the kitchen windowsill waiting to be eaten!

And i probably have less plants than you. (oh I wish I had some photos to prove it!)

Not BOASTING or anything you understand  ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

Am I right in assuming you only pick red tomatoes for the window sill or should we pick all the green ones as well? The latter doesn't really make sense somehow :-\

I'm green too don't forget. ::) :P ;D

[Garden Manager]

Am I right in assuming you only pick red tomatoes for the window sill or should we pick all the green ones as well? The latter doesn't really make sense somehow :-\

I'm green too don't forget. ::) :P ;D

Oh only those ripe or virtualy ripe get picked roy(that those that are red or whatever colour the packet says they should be when ripe  ;)). The windowsill is where we keep them before they are used (never refridgerate homegrown tomatoes).
Only pick green ones at theend of the season when they wont ripen on the plant (or if the plant gets blight  ::))

[tim]

And 'don't place it the sunshine or they'll go soft'!!

[Roy Bham UK]

Oh only those ripe or virtualy ripe get picked roy(that those that are red or whatever colour the packet says they should be when ripe  ). The windowsill is where we keep them before they are used (never refridgerate homegrown tomatoes).
Only pick green ones at theend of the season when they wont ripen on the plant (or if the plant gets blight  ) 

Why can't you refrigerate home grown toms? I have been eating them from the fridge and they tasted  good. ???
 
 

[tim]

"How to Store Tomatoes - eHow.com
How to Store Tomatoes - If you've got a great, vine-ripened tomato, don't kill its
flavor by storing it in the refrigerator!"

etc!

[Roy Bham UK]

Thanks for that Tim, and the useful link ;)

[BAGGY]

I think slightly warm toms always taste better even if they are supermarket ones.  Same with strawberries (most sm strawbs taste of nothing if they are chilled, didn't have luxury of lotty strawbs as they got nicked)

[Gadfium]

Success! After sowing the seeds at the end of March...

Two Gardeners' Delight tomatoes (in the greenhouse) are finally showing signs of a pale red flush.

Two whole trusses of Ailsa Craig (in border along a west wall) are starting to go from dark green to light green... so red can't be too far away.

One Gardeners' Delight tomato (in allotment) got eaten, straight off the plant, on Sunday. What a lovely sweet taste.

And thanks for the info on tomato/fridge storage.

[Lily]

It was suggested by Monte Don on Gardeners World to remove the lower leaves of the Tomato plant to let the sunlight get to the tomatoes and ripen them.

My Ailsa Craig and Gardeners Delight are ripening beautifully as they have a lot of sun outdoors, and they taste great.   The ones in the greenhouse are taking a little longer, I think there has been a little too much shade.  However, at least I won't have all the tomatoes ripening at once.

It's sheer heaven to pick and then eat a sun ripened tomato. There is no comparison to those horrible shop bought red round things that they sell in the supermarkets, they are only grown for yield, travelling and keeping properties.  Taste, they put at the bottom of the list.

Lily

[Garden Manager]

My kitchen windowsill is in shade tim, dont worry.

We never used to refridgerate but this was purely by accident not design. We never knew why you shouldnt put them in the fridge, until we bought some from a grower at a flower show back in early summer, who told us not to do it as it ruined the flavour.

Its interesting to see people learning these growing tips for the first time. My own growing technique is the result of at least 3 generations of tomato growing (domestic scale) in my family. Some has been lost and rediscovered over the years, and i have tried alternative methods, but at the end of the day you cant beat the tried and tested methods.

For example, who puts small flowerpots next to the plants to aid watering? I saw it recomended on TV by Alan Titchmarsh a few years ago, but before that never seen it recomended anywhere. AND YET this is something my grandfather always did, and can remember as a small child helping to water his tomatoes by uusing this same method! In my veiw this is by far the best way to water (and not overwater) tomato plants as you will always give them the same amount each day.

[Mrs Ava]

Robert, all of these are were picked from outdoor plants.
My greenhouse toms aren't a patch on my allotment plants, so next year, the greenhouse is going to be purely for peppers,aubergines and melons!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm starting to get a few ripe ones now. Only a couple a day at the moment, unfortunately. It'll soon get better.

[tim]

So why, Emma? But a nice assortment. What do you use each variety for?

Lily - surprised about the leaf thing. I always reckon that one removes them to ventilate: & that tomatoes should be shaded from the sun!!

Here are some ideas. http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/tp/TomatoTips.htm
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00031.asp

[Roy Bham UK]

;) Another useful link Tim (Taunton.com) Tar very much, now I see where I have been going wrong on a few points. ::)

I have a load of tom plants at my Daughters close by and her Mum in law (who is an old tom grower) pruned a few leaves and topped the plants whilst visiting, hopefully she has saved the day. ;D

[tim]

REAL BEEF!! Palla di Fuocco.

[Garden Manager]

Cor! Tim what a whopper!

Whilst the big beefsteak toms are impressive, I do prefer the smaller tomatoes for eating.

BTW talking of tomatoes, I have just got back from a visit to an event called 'Totally Tomato' held at West Dean gardens in West Sussex. Tasting, cooking, growing, you name it, plus other nice eats to try as well. Nice gardens too.