Too late to pick tomatoes?

Margaritaville · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:24 pm Post subject: Too late to pick tomatoes?

Hi, I had several tomato plants this year of different varieties and they all performed pretty erratically.Did get a harvest but other toms just didnt want to ripen (the poor summer I suppose) As a result I still have a fair few toms on the plants.Is it too late to pick them now do you think?About three weeks ago I used some of the still green ones to make a relish which worked out quite well.The ones still on the plants are all shades between green and not quite red, so wondering if I can ripen them for use as regular tomatoes or am I making more relish?!
Thanks for any answers.

galwaybeginner · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:43 pm Post subject:

I finish ripening mine off the plant on a windowsill (saves them from slugs and other pests).

I know this reply is too late for your question, but thought it may help for this year!

The Garden Shop · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject:

The warm weather this week will help to ripen your tomatoes

To ripen tomatoes off the vine put them in a biscuit tin with bananas.... The gases given off by the banana will speed up the ripening process

badfarmer · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 32

I have a huge crop of 'Money Makers' in my small green house but no sign of them ripening. I know it's only mid August but being a novice I just wonder should they be ripening now. Many of the toms appear to be fully grown.
Is there something I can do to speed up the ripening process on the plant? All help appreciated.

Margo · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 5:37 pm Post subject:

I grow tomatoes every year and I've never been so late in getting them in. I haven't had any ripe yet and thats in a polytunnel.

tagwex · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 8:42 pm Post subject:

Not that it is any help to you but I grew all my 12 plants outdoors this year. Started them off indoors in May and planted out in June. Not one red tomato yet although a few are gone yellow and split, probably due to overwatering. Never grew them before so I don't know what to expect. LOADS of green ones coming down the line though.

knoxville · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject:

For the last two weeks i have ripe ones , first to ripen for me were Sungold closely followed by Gardeners Delight , small glass house in Mayo.

Sive · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject:

I have tomatoes in a small glasshouse, and only the Gardener's Delight ones have been steadily ripening and they are very sweet, otherwise the others are green. I'm not very experienced with tomatoes, so I just thought this was normal !

tippben · Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:20 am Post subject:

I have tumbling toms ripe for the last few weeks in hanging baskets outside. Gardeners' Delight and Moneymaker in the tunnel have loads of fruit, but all still green. I'm tempted to start closing the tunnel at night to keep it really hot: late August, so if I get blight or botritus, I'll have to pick, but it could well be a green tomato chutney year at this rate anyway.

Crispy · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 10 Apr 2013 Posts: 5

i sowed my tomatoe seeds on the 10th of april and have had ripe fruits almost daily with the last 2/3 weeks

mcgrueser · Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:37 pm Post subject:

What varieties Crispy? Presumably not larger tomatoes?

Crispy · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 10 Apr 2013 Posts: 5

sungold, precious, rambling red stripe

mcgrueser · Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:35 am Post subject:

Never heard of Precious...or were you saying Sungold are precious?!

I do like the looks of Rambling Red Stripe. One for next yr!

Crispy · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 10 Apr 2013 Posts: 5

precious was the name, never again will they be inside the door of the greenhouse, lovely sized and shaped fruits but there was a circular patch on the arse of 70% of them that was moulded/rotten. luckily i only had 2 of those plants

the rambling red stripe are savage, can vary in size quite a bit but plentiful and tasty.

tagwex · Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 2:19 pm Post subject:

OK...... time for a largish slice of humble pie. I will have to revise my comment above because as of this morning I am a total idiot. Some of my tomato plants were given to me by my next door neighbour who started them off in his greenhouse and I planted them outside. As stated none had gone red yet and still haven't but lots were gone yellow. He came over this morning and asked why I hadn't picked them yet as they were getting over ripe, I says 'sure why would I pick them and they not red yet.' Turns out they are a yellow variety (Sunburst), I never knew yellow tomatoes existed. The laughs of my better half are still ringing in my ears. Shows what I know. But I have an excuse - it's my first year at this gardening lark. I thought they were like peppers, green, then yellow, then red. Cannot say that I have ever noticed yellow tomatoes in the shops.