I agree with LoneJack. Tomatoes still ripen here at the end of the season, but they lose their taste. It's really up to you, as you can pick them at "blush" stage and let them ripen inside if you like. That's sometimes a good thing to do anyway before a forecasted rain (which will cause them to crack).

Linda

They certainly won't "shrivel up and die". You might eventually end up with red tomatoes. Otherwise, you'll just end up harvesting green ones when you're about to have the first frost.

Thanks folks, good to know, the plant is so healthy looking and laden with fruit it would be a shame to rip it out.

Dan, we never get frost, that is why I was/am uncertain about when my tomatoes will come to an end. So much information about veg gardening relates to frosts, sometimes it's hard to get info when you don't have any.
However what we do get in late winter and early spring is wind. Likely there will be some gusts over 100 kmph/ 60 mph. I think I'll have trouble keeping the plant upright.

I think i'll be growing this variety again, 6 months of harvesting seems pretty good? Though maybe this is pretty normal in this sort of climate, frost-free but summer isn't really hot. Also we've been in a drought, usual annual rainfall is 1320mm/ 52 inches but the last year it has been much lower and so much less humid which I suppose might have contributed to keeping the plant healthy.

Another question. I know it is warmth rather than light than helps tomatoes to ripen, but I thought perhaps removing a few leaves to get a bit more warming sun on the fruits might help speed up ripening? As it is winter there is no risk of sunburn, I think.

Thanks again!

If you never have frost then it's all great. They will ripen in the end and normally will be quite stronger tasting. The ripening at under 10C can take forever however, you just need to be patient.

I wouldn't remove any healthy leaves or branches. It is the photosynthesis from the leaves that indirectly transfer the suns energy to the fruit production. Sunlight directly on the fruit won't help nor hurt in your situation. When the day length shortens and the weather cools there is just not as much sun.

The warmth comes from the air. Sunlight on the fruit isn't going to add a lot. There is zero sunlight at night, but the air temp hasn't changed a lot. As noted, removing leaves isn't going to help the plant. Of course, you should harvest at first blush, and let them get red indoors, where it is probably warmer.

Thank you all! I will leave the leaves alone then : )

On a different note. We had a mild winter here in the Central Valley of California and I managed to keep a Boxcar Willie alive all winter by cutting it back to just a few growing shoots. By April it was growing rapidly and I had my first tomato in early May. I have a healthy 2 year-old plant that is loaded with tomatoes. All of my peppers are at least 2-years old... the Jalepinos is 3 years old. It's fun to experiment.

It's not commonly understood that, fundamentally, Solanaceae are natively perennials, not annuals. There are enormous "tomato trees" that have been around for decades, but I believe those are a different species, and the fruit that they produce isn't that good. Obviously, you can't do this productively with determinate plants.