Help! Tomatoes Aren't Ripening!

6 years ago

Hi there,

I planted six tomato plants of different varieties back at the beginning of May. They grew very fast and produced a lot of fruit. But for the past month or so, only a few of the tomatoes have actually turned red. I've done some google searching and most people recommend bringing the tomatoes in to ripen them. I don't want to bring in nearly a hundred tomatoes though, also the fruit flies will get them before they're red, I'm sure. A couple of articles also said to stop watering them, which in Vancouver will be quite difficult.

Has anyone been successful in covering your tomato plants to keep them dry and to help with the ripening process? What did you cover them with?

Thanks!

Featured Answer

Mokinu

6 years ago

I've read that adding extra phosphate is supposed to speed ripening. I read that before, but I found something more official-sounding the other day (when I wasn't actually looking for it), directed specifically at tomatoes. So, I feel more confident telling you that.

I've never had fruit flies bother green, unripe tomatoes in the house before. The tomatine and lack of sugar probably deters them. Just make sure you can see which ones are ripening. If they're all packed together, they're more likely to spoil unnoticed (and spoil the others as a result).

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Comments (9)

getgoing100_7b_nj
6 years ago
wow, 100 tomatoes from 6 plants, that is quiet the performance!
Christine
Original Author
6 years ago
I should mention that some of them are cherry tomatoes! But there are SO many. I wish I could enjoy them.
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getgoing100_7b_nj
6 years ago
you could bring in some and see if they ripen. If they do, you could bring them in in batches. While inside, cover them with a mesh food cove/screen tent to keep off flies, if any.
Christine thanked getgoing100_7b_nj
lilyd74 (5b sw MI)
6 years ago
I don't know of anything to do to the plants that will help the tomatoes ripen on the vine. When I bring in green tomatoes, I wash them first, then keep them dry in a dry container (a colander when the volume is small enough) and go through them about every four to six days to remove any that are ripe or starting to go bad. Doing so keeps the fruit flies off and maximizes retention of the harvest.
FrozeBudd_z3/4
6 years ago
Christine, my region of central Alberta has had an exceedingly WET and overcast dreary summer causing my tomatoes to set poorly and struggle to size up and ripen. Okay, so what I did about a month ago was give them a good pruning to reduce the over abundance of foliage and I then placed a makeshift clear plastic tent over them in which the ends are vented to prevent overheating in which can quickly occur. I now actually have a decent good crop with many fruits ripening on the vine, whereas my friends have generally experienced an outright tomato crop failure.
Christine
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks FrozeBudd_z4 !

I actually just pruned yesterday and put clear plastic bags over each plant. I will vent them today... I never thought of that.

I heard Alberta had quite a wet year. Surprisingly that wasn't the case on the west coast! It was quite warm and dry here. That being said, I don't think I pruned these enough over the summer. Also as I noticed yesterday, there were quite a few half eaten tomatoes on the vine so I think critters are getting to them before I do!
lgteacher
6 years ago
The ripening of tomatoes is affected by temperature, which we can't control unless we are using greenhouses. If it's cooler than normal where you live, you may have to wait longer. Excessive heat also slows ripening. Tomatoes are fussy about temperature! https://homeguides.sfgate.com/cold-temperatures-keep-tomatoes-ripening-cold-be-79457.html
Christine
Original Author
6 years ago
That makes total sense lgteacher! It went from the heat of summer to the chilly rain of fall almost overnight so that could be why they stalled.

Thank you!