|
Wed, Nov 27, 13 at 16:57
| I have tomato plants in raised beds and pots that still have tomatoes (and a few blossoms) on them. I live close to the ocean and the temperatures are mild. Thus far, the lows have been in the high 40's. Is there a low temperature where tomatoes won't ripen anymore? Should I just leave them till the cold kills the plants? Thanks, |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by JoeOrganicTomatoes 6A (My Page) on Wed, Nov 27, 13 at 23:34
| Hi there as you can see I'm in zone 6a and the temps are below freezing. I'd pull your tomatoes off the vine and put them in a box with a lid. Line the box with newspaper. Place your unripen tomatoes in a single layer. Cover them with newspaper and close the lid. They will ripen in time. As to the blossoms you can leave then on the vine. They will probably never produce fruit but who knows with the crazy weather we are experiencing these days you never knows. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving! |
|
| My understanding is that tomatoes slow down or even stop ripening when day and night temperatures remain under 55 for three or four days. They certainly don't develop very good flavor in that environment. We had a long cold spell -- with lows down to 40 and highs in the mid-50s -- in September in southwestern Ohio, and none of the large green tomatoes on my plants ripened the whole month. Usually I can harvest ripening fruits into mid-October. I did pick a few green tomatoes at the beginning of the cold spell, and they ripened within 10 days sitting in the open on my counter. They tasted better than the green ones I brought inside to ripen after the cold spell. By the way, I find that most of my large green tomatoes will ripen out in the open. I had more problems when I wrapped them in newspaper or, worse, set them on a sunny window sill. |
|
| We just pull the whole plant, roots and all. Hang the whole plant upside down in the garage. All green tomatoes continue to ripen same speed as in the ground. Clean off extra branches and leaves to cut down on the mess as it dries We do this before we get a freeze every year in Nov. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
