How to ripen tomatoes on the plant faster?

Question

Hi,

I have a few bush and vine type tomatoes that have good sized green fruit on them, but otherwise aren't doing much.. A few websites I read suggested stressing the plant to ripen the fruits faster. I imagine that would result in nutrient-deficient fruit. I am not looking to have them mature overnight, just make sure they have everything they need to mature on schedule with full fruit nutrient value. As far as I know the plants have enough fertiliser available to them but they *are* in pots.

Are there any other ways to encourage ripening?

Answer 1

Once the fruit is there it should only take a few days for them to start to ripen. You can pick them and put them on your window sill.  

Answer 2

WATER AND SUN!

Answer 3

Even though it may not look as if anything is happening and your green tomatoes are just hanging there, they are maturing and ripening. You really don't want to hurry this process if you want good-tasting tomatoes. Sure, you can pick them green and wrap them in paper or put them in a bag with apples, but they will not taste good.

Please be patient and let them ripen in their own time. Don;t water them if they look full. Heavily watered tomatoes tend to split once the fruit is fully formed.

For optimum taste pick the tomatoes when they are orange/red, but not dark red. Do not put them in the refrigerator. You will destroy the flavor, and it won't come back.

Once the weather gets cold (under 45 degrees), if you have green tomatoes still hanging there, pick them and store them in a cool place. They will ripen slowly, and you may still have fresh tomatoes and Thanksgiving or even Christmas.

Answer 4

You can go ahead and pick them.  Wrap them in news paper and put them in a cool dry place and they will ripen nicely.

My Grandmother and I did this one year.  It worked.

Answer 5

I'm sure they're fine.  

I usually wait for Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts (which I did this year) to plant and that gives me the big harvest the second week of August.  We didn't have frost this year in May at all, so many growers took a risk and planted earlier and are getting them now.

If they aren't doing much at all, perhaps their in 'survival' mode because they haven't been getting enough water (pots dry out QUICKLY, compared to inground plants).  If that's the case, just keep them soaked.

If the plant is very bushy, perhaps it's putting too much into growing and not into the fruit.  Perhaps try trimming it up a bit.