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        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
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        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
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How to Ripen Green Tomatoes

Picture
Growing vine-ripe tomatoes in a northern garden can be a challenge particularly when Mother Nature hands us a cool summer. But, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy red, juicy tomatoes from your garden. It simply means you will need to provide a little extra TLC and exercise a little patience.
The first step to harvesting vine-ripe tomatoes in the garden  is to choose varieties that mature early and thrive in cool weather. But if your tomatoes take longer to mature or Mother Nature doesn't cooperate and you still have tons of green tomatoes at the end of summer, you have three choices.

Root Pruning 
Root pruning often speeds ripening in the garden. According to Cornell University, severing some of the roots hastens ripening. Cornell recommends inserting a spade into the soil to sever the roots approximately 12 inches from the main stem forming a circle around the plant. Some prefer to sever the roots 6 inches from the stem on one side only. A local gardener swears by giving the entire plant a sharp pull to loosen the roots in the soil. If you choose root pruning do so several weeks before the expected frost to allow all tomatoes to fully ripen.

Hanging 
Some prefer to trim back the foliage and pull the tomato plant with the tomatoes intact and hang the entire plant upside down in a cool area to ripen. For small tomato plants, or if you have one or two plants, this may work well, but it really isn't practical for large plants or if you have a lot of tomato plants.

Inside Ripening
Because green tomatoes will continue to ripen when brought inside, many gardeners choose this method.. A few tomatoes can be ripened in a paper bag, but for large quantities of green tomatoes, a box works better. Here's how.

  1. Pick the tomatoes on a dry day. Wipe them down with a paper towel or soft cloth. Moisture or soil from the garden on the tomatoes promotes spoilage.
  2. Wrap each tomato in newspaper and layer them in a box. Because they are individually wrapped, you can layer them on top of each other without concerns about rotting, but you do need to check them often. Some gardeners spread the green tomatoes over a layer of newspaper and then cover them with another layer.
  3. Close the box and place it in a cool, dark area to allow the tomatoes to ripen. Check your box often for any signs of rotting and to remove ripe tomatoes.

Tomatoes begin ripening within a week, but some may take up to a month. If you are lucky, your supply of ripe tomatoes may extend well into fall. Although vine-ripe tomatoes may be the goal, ripening green tomatoes inside does provide fresh tomatoes long after the frost has arrived. Anything that extends my gardening season into the fall is appreciated.

Back to Tomatoes
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables