9 Tips For
Ripening Tomatoes

Even If The Weather Is Against You

Ripening tomatoes can be a challenge some years. Most gardeners have had a green tomato summer, when they just never seem to turn red. And, every gardener has been left with green tomatoes at the end of the season...it's mother nature's way after all. But with a bit of TLC, you can ripen your crop sooner, and even save most of those late bloomers at season’s end. Let me share some garden gnome tips to ripen your tomatoes, even during the coolest of summers!

1. Don’t plant your tomatoes too early. Yes. You read that correctly. Most tomatoes won’t grow well until soil temperature is at 60 degrees F, and you will stunt the growth of plants that go in too soon. They usually won’t recover to grow vigorously, so know when to plant . To raise soil temperature, try covering the tomato garden area with clear plastic for two weeks prior to setting out your plants.
2. Don’t mulch under your tomatoes until the soil temperature is at least 70 degrees F. The soil will warm faster without it.
3. Studies have shown that a plastic mulch under your plants will ripen more fruit and sooner. The surprise is that red plastic mulch is most effective, but if you can’t find it, black will do.
4. Tomatoes may blossom, but most varieties will not set fruit until your nighttime temperature is at least 55 degrees F, so pluck off blossoms until nights are warmer so that plants can focus on green growth.
5. You can raise nighttime temperatures by placing gallon milk jugs full of water around your young plants. They soak up sun during the day, and radiate it back toward your plants at night. If you have more money than milk jugs, you can buy a commercial product called Walls O’ Water.
6. Learn to prune your tomato plants ; so that you get less plant and more fruit that will ripen sooner. This includes topping the plant when it reaches the top of your trellis and pruning away side branches.
7. When a light frost is predicted, cover the plants with a tarp, sheet of plastic or sheet at night so that they don’t get frost damaged and stop ripening. (This is one of those times you'll probably wish you were a gnome and could predict the weather before it happens!)
8. If a hard frost is predicted, pick the green tomatoes and bring them indoors. If there is any yellow or pink on the fruit it will likely ripen within a few days to two weeks. A few will rot, but most will ripen nicely. Even many of the totally green fruit will ripen.

   To ripen indoors, place them on a tray and cover with a thin sheet of paper, or cloth. Keep them in a warm, dry place where they will slowly begin the ripening process. Avoid over heating your tomatoes! Too much humidity and sunlight can cause rotting, and that can be a heartbreaking waste. Most years we are still eating ripe fruit in the burrow until Christmas.

9. When tomatoes begin to ripen, they will release ethylene gas, which helps speed up the process. If you'd like to slow down the process and spread your tomatoes out over time, remove ripened tomatoes from green. If you'd like a large batch of fresh tomatoes for a stew, do the opposite! You can also place ripe bananas, or apples in with your tomatoes to help them ripen at a quick pace.

Don't keep your ripe tomatoes too long, or they will loose their flavor. Eat them up. Fruit that is ripened indoors will not taste quite as good as vine ripened, but they will still taste far better than their store bought cousins.

So, now you know the secrets to ripening tomatoes – no more green tomato summers - enjoy!

Happy gardening,

Geefrank

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