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tomatoes

My tomatoes are big a green at the bottom of my plant and have been for about 4/5 weeks however, the top of the plant is still flowering and producing new shoots. should I pick the big green toamtoes from the bottom and ripen them on a sunny window ledge?

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Posts

  • No-why?image

    They will ripen on the plant-leave them to do what they need to do-they will taste better for it

    In any case a sunny windowsill is not the best place-at the end of the season in a drawer is ideal-they need warmth more that sun to ripen.

    It is also a good time to pinch out the tops of the plant-it is getting quite late in the season to expect more fruit to form, grow and ripen.

    Leave the plant to concentrate on getting the ones on it now to ripen.

  • blackestblackest Posts: 623

    If you want to harvest them now you could, a brown paper bag and a ripe banana seem to be a good combination. It's acetylene that ripens them and banana's give of lots which helps. I'd probably not bother till they are losing some of the greenness. I've just about got to the stage where there are tomato's ready for harvesting most days. 

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    I think you mean ethylene, blackest, not acetylene.

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    nanny, ripening is controlled by temperature, nothing else. Sunlight has direct no role to play beyond supplying temperature. Optimum temps for ripening are low-20sC and above. Below that, they will ripen, but more slowly the lower the temp goes. If the temps get down to low teens, they would be better off inside on the kitchen bench.

    A tom's ripening process is actually an internal chemical process. The plant plays no actual role beyond sustaining the fruit. There also comes a point in the ripening process when the fruit actually stops drawing sustenance from the plant. The plant's job is done.

  • Thanks so much for all the advice guys. I am new to the forum and am delighted that I got a response. Lots for me to think about.... I like the advice about leaving the toms on the plant and pinching out the top.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Good luck with them nanny!  Italophile is a real expert with toms and gives us all lots of great advice and help - I've learnt loads already and had a lovely crop of toms this year and many more still to come image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657
    Nanny last year most of our allotmenteers had Tommy blight and so we had lots of green tom chutney ,(recipe from this site ) it is just great so youv now got plan B

    no probs

    Alan4711
  • I am still waiting on mine to ripen aswell nanny, mine like yours have been green for weeks. It's always nice reading the advice given.

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    As a very very general rule of thumb, given optimum (or close to) conditions, a medium-sized tom will take a month to six weeks to ripness from the time it starts to change colour. Once you see the fruit start to lighten in colour from its darkest green, the process is under way.

  • blackestblackest Posts: 623

    Heat and light seems to be the key. Of the many plants I have some greenhouse , some outside by the wall and a couple I gave to the landlord the plants in his conservatory seem to be well ahead of the rest.  

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