How to ripen tomatoes

How to ripen late tomatoes

There are always a few green tomatoes left on plants as temperatures start to fall. Here's how to ripen them.

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
At its best
At its best

Plant is not at its best in January

Plant is not at its best in February

Plant is not at its best in March

Plant is not at its best in April

Plant is not at its best in May

Plant is not at its best in June

Plant is not at its best in July

Plant is not at its best in August

Plant is at its best in September

Plant is not at its best in October

Plant is not at its best in November

Plant is not at its best in December

To do
To do

Do not To do in January

Do not To do in February

Do not To do in March

Do not To do in April

Do not To do in May

Do not To do in June

Do not To do in July

Do not To do in August

Do To do in September

Do not To do in October

Do not To do in November

Do not To do in December

Tomato plants fruit from June until the first frosts, thriving in the warm, light conditions of summer. However, the ripening process slows down as the days become shorter, so fruit that develops from September may not ripen before the first frosts arrive.

Tomatoes ripen most quickly in a warm, light environment. The best flavours are said to come from tomatoes ‘ripened on the vine’, meaning they are picked from the plant after they have ripened. Therefore, to ripen late tomatoes it’s best to leave them on the plant for as long as possible, so the fruits will develop the best flavour. Only harvest tomatoes to ripen them indoors after you’ve exhausted all efforts to ripen them on the vine.

How to ripen tomatoes

Keep your tomatoes on the vine for as long as possible, increasing as much light and warmth to the developing fruits as possible. Inside, there are a few tactics to employ to speed up the ripening process – see our list of tomato ripening tips, below.

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You Will Need

  • Tomato plants
  • Secateurs

Total time:

Step 1

In your vegetable patch or greenhouse, remove any remaining flowers from your tomato plants. These have no chance of developing into fruit so nipping them off now will help channel the plant’s energy into ripening existing fruits.

Tomato flowers
Tomato flowers

Step 2

Your tomato plants should have formed three or four trusses of fruits by early autumn, so to ensure these all ripen, remove the top of each plant. Simply cut through the main stem a couple of leaves above the uppermost truss of green fruits. Removing leaves from the plant can also ensure the maximum amount of light possible can reach the fruits, helping them to ripen.

Cordon tomatoes ripening on plant with leaves removed to speed up ripening process
Cordon tomatoes ripening on plant with leaves removed to speed up ripening process

Step 3

After temperatures have started to dip, it’s time to harvest your tomatoes and move them indoors. One tip is to keep them in a drawer or paper bag with a banana. The banana will release ethylene, a hormone associated with the ripening of fruit, which will help speed up the ripening process. Check the drawer or bag regularly and remove ripened tomatoes as and when you find them.

Harvesting unripe tomatoes
Harvesting unripe tomatoes
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