Pick them when they are still green, just beginning to blush. Look for a star shape on the bottom, it it is there than the tomatoes will ripen up just fine off the plant.

I have found no difference in taste between vine ripened and fruits ripened off the plant. Tasteless maters are from poor soils not from being picked green.

Picking early stops all cracking, cut worms and horns worms eating holes in fruit and other bad things.

Good advice thanks. You mention the soil as being the key to producing good tasting maters- can you elaborate a bit?
How do you usually store you maters and for how long before you take them to market?

Thank you

I agree with boulderbelt. I pick mine when the are starting to turn, maybe a little later than blushing. I bring them into my basement store room and set them in single layer flats. I let them ripen to a nice red. I remember somewhere I read that tomatoes don't turn bright red with temps higher than 90+, can't remember where.

This really saves the frustration of waiting to pick and then have something eat at or wind or hail destroy them. I have been known to run out and quickly pick all the close tomatoes when a hailstorm is in the area.

As far as storage for tomatoes here is how it works for me.
I go to three markets a week. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. I don't pick on Saturday, unless I have to due to weather or other reasons. I go to the market, come home and sleep!

I pick on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. These pickings are sold on Wednesday. I take all the ripe looking ones and the 3/4 ripe ones. I try to keep them grouped (in my mind), I pick on Wednesday and some on Thursday for Thursdays market. I also take anything that didn't sell on Wednesday as long as it looks good and the slower ripening ones from the basement. Then I pick real heavy on Friday, basically take everything that is blushing. This all will be for my Saturday Market in addition to anything that doesn't sell from Thursday. I take everything with me on Saturday. My goal is to come home with none. Then I start it all over again. If I do have things left over, I will hold them until Wednesday and that is it. It just depends, sometimes they will hold for a week. It depends on the variety.

I pick what I need, if things don't sell well on Wednesday, I may not pick much on Thursday. Maybe only the real red ones. You just have to learn your markets and adjust your picking. Ideally, nothing more than 3-5 days post picking.

I would also say to improve marketable yield, put up a hoop building or high tunnel. Hands down the best way to get more out of your tomatoes.

As far as soil, my soil is off the scale high in potassium and phosphorus (old pig pens from previous owners) I always get praise on how good my tomatoes taste.

Good luck!

Pick before rainstorms-full sized green maters + rain = splitting