Is there any chance they will still ripen?
So far we've had about six ripe tomatoes (off the yellow tomato plant). The rest are still resolutely green.
Are they going to ripen now?
Varieties include Roma, First in the Field (yeah, right!), and two heritage varieties.
They are all outside.
I hope so because I am in the same boat ! I have started picking my tomatoes as soon as they are starting to change colour, as they seem to turn ok then. I am keeping all my tomatoes in a large tray in the kitchen rather than the fridge, so I can spot any faulty ones and remove them quickly ...
Derekthefox :D
Can't you do something like put them in a paper bag with a ripe banana and the chemicals that a banana releases ripen the toms?
I have definately heard of this from somewhere, I will check it out but worth a try?
Hi,
My Roma are only just going orange, although I am going to have to ripen them all in the house/garden because the blight is at them. The large rounds have been ripening one by one for a week and the cherries for a couple of weeks. I shall be stripping all the plants this week anyway before the whole lot succumb.
Where can I get industiral size paper bags?? Â ;)
RosieM
I have heard that about the banana too madmum, I will keep one near to my tray ...
Derekthefox :D
My seed supplier suggested covering the plan in black polythene - e.g. a bin bag. The rationale behind this is that it is heat that ripens the fruit, and by raising the temp you should get a faster harvest.
Also, try thinning out leaves and growing stems (if you haven't already!) so that all the plant's energy goes into the fruit ...
Hope that this helps - I'm waiting to see the results of it myself, as few of my plants have ripened naturally.
does anyone know a recipe for green tomato chutney?!
Once the tomatoes start to change colour, how long should it take for them to become ripe?
Mine are staying Green with no sign of change! At least I have made some nice Green Tomatoe chutney - but I wish they would hurry up!
From what you're saying it seems like the only hope is off the plant. I will thin them out a bit this week and if that doesn't work I'll start taking off the biggest fruits.
Two years ago I was quite successfully rippening fruit in the kitchen until the following January, but I was hoping they might still have a chance on the vine.
(Last year I'd lost them all to blight by this point, so didn't have any greenies left!)
We usually leave ours on the plant until the end of September unless the weather really starts to cool. I'd say it was still warm enough at the moment - unless you have lots of room to keep them indoors, which I haven't
I'm picking mine as soon as they start to change colour, and ripening them at home; it only takes a couple of days. They're coming steadily now.
My cherries are OK but the plum toms are all still resolutely green. I'll give them a few more weeks because the top trusses of cherries are still going in the right direction. But I can see that green tomato chutney making is not far off.
Tis funny, last year I lost the lot on the plot due to blight, and the ones in the greenhouse took an age to ripen, and yes, I made a lot of green tomato chutney, but this year, the greenhouse ones were rubbish, except for the cherries, but all the rest that are on the allotment are producing faster than we can use! I am picking a carrier bag almost daily at the moment, and these are most definately ripe! I am planning to leave mine on the allotment until there are no coloured toms left, just greens, then strip them down, and if still no change, then in they will all come.
Mine were all green up until a couple of weeks ago, then a couple turned now ive got a glut :-X , I'd be patient there's still plenty of time for them to ripen.
Quote from: aquilegia on September 12, 2005, 10:41:15
Is there any chance they will still ripen?
So far we've had about six ripe tomatoes (off the yellow tomato plant). The rest are still resolutely green.
Still resolutely green aqui? If you have picked a few then some others have probably changed from the dark green to light green that I mentioned in a previous post (and Tim posted some excellent pictures of). I thin garden cadet (still aka Richard F.?) posted the initial question. Ripening is very temperature dependent so, if you are getting cool nights in particular, I would ripen them inside. What you may want to do is check the blossom end and see if any colour change is taking place there as this is where colour change first becomes apparent. With varieties with the internal ripening gene, which most have, once colour beomes apparent on the outside then the interior is already ripe.