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How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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Posted by
GreenDreamhome Zone 9 (
My Page) on
Thu, May 8, 14 at 12:17
| I know that my cherry tomatoes are overcrowded in their containers, but there's nothing I can do about that now. There are some tomatoes that are now bright red and bright orange. I don't know if they're going to get any bigger because of the overcrowding. How do I know if they are "done" or if they will grow larger? I got them in the middle of March, and at the time they had no tomatoes on them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| About over crowing: Look into pruning them. About size and growth:
Once tomato fruits shows some color change, it is unlikely to grow any bigger. Then you can pick them and let them get full color on the counter (INdirect light). This is a good technique if the crack, birds pick at them, etc.
Of course, you can always let them get ripe on the vine. |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| If the tomatoes are red, they are ready. They won't grow any bigger! The orange ones will probably turn red, unless they are an orange variety (like Sungold). Enjoy! Linda |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| Harvest those that are red or orange/red. Use snips so that you don't harm the stems. If you keep the ripe ones harvested and the crop thinned a little, the remaining tomatoes are likely to be a bit larger. |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| Thanks, guys! Linda -- Yes, I have both red and orange varieties! |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| Well, we harvested the bright red and orange ones, but it turns out they did need to be riper. I'll have to figure out a good way to tell! |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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This has been established that once tomato turns color, the rest of ripening process is internal to the fruit and needs not any help from the mother plant.
A lot of gardeners harvest their tomatoes once color change occurs. They do this for several reasons : --- rainy period ahead , to prevent spoilage. .
--- birds and other culprits eat/damage them.
--- Tomato variety is prone to splitting and cracking if left on vine long time. After harvesting, just store them single layer on newspaper , AWAY from direct light, in room temperature.
If you be careful in picking and not blemishing them, those tomatoes can last for days if not weeks or until you consume them after changing full color. |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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| I've heard the "collar" of the tomato dries up? |
RE: How do I know when the tomatoes are ready?
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- Posted by digdirt 6b-7a North AR (My Page) on
Sun, May 11, 14 at 16:26
| Aside from colo - Feel them. A ripe tomato has a totally different feel and hand weight from an unripe one. They are softer and heavier, have a 'give' to them when lightly squeezed between thumb and finger. Dave |
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