Grow Your Own Magazine

just need a bit of advice and your experience here,
I have 10 Alicante tom plants all with trusses on, some of the toms are very big, but all are still green. I think I was a bit late with them but I am pleased with the results so far.
As it is nearly Oct and they have not ripened when would any of you advise me to pick them and bring them indoors to ripen them off. I live in the northwest - cheshire so I want to catch them before any frosts do!
Also if I bring them in is the banana method the best or have you any other suggestions
I want to do the best thing possible as these are my 'babies' Im sure lots of you understand this way of thinking !!

Thanks

Sam

If they are outside, I would definitely bring them in. Personally I would bring them in 'on the vine' and lay out in a single layer to ripen. If you particularly want them to ripen quickly you could put a ripe banana in with them, otherwise, in my experience they'll get there in the end without.
I still have toms in the greenhouse (various sorts), and whilst I've cut them back considerably (and picked some green ones for Earthbabes chutney!) I am planning on leaving them a while longer to ripen at will. However, I've been shutting the greenhouse door at night for a couple of weeks now - just to keep the temperature up a bit to help them ripen, and also, as time goes on, in prep for the frosts (although I'm in the south so I'm probably fairly safe).
As well as the banana method, you can also place them near cut flowers. The down side to this though is that they may well turn your flowers much quicker!!

I am trying the Banana way at the moment but they are taking there time. How long should I expect for it to work? Also I wanted to know if the Tom's will have a banana taste to them in the end? (you know like your sandwich does if you put a banana in the box with it).

Don't worry Silverfox, your tomatoes wont taste of banana! Mind you I wonder what they would taste like if the flavours did mix! Can't quite imagine it somehow! Will take a few days, once they start going they will ripen fast!

Mine have ripened fast with a banana in with them! They are in a tupperware box, with the lid partially closed and have taken about 3 days to ripen half a colander full....

Going to make pasta sauce with them

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

Just put them in a dark drawer and they will ripen. If you want them to ripen outdoors, lay down the cordon on the ground or straw and cover with cloche. They will ripen. Bring them in though and the drawer trick always works a treat. I also stop watering mine about three weeks ago, they ripen quicker that way.

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Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

I still have all my toms outdoors and picked 10 lbs of ripe tomatoes today and made salsa tonight with them. My garden is fairly low lying completely walled in and facessouth, so catches every bit of sunlight. We had a lovely sunny day today.

I picked my Moneymaker toms before I went on holiday last week & put them in 2 paper bags to ripen as they were all green. One bag had the ones I was a bit worried about as blight had hit the plants & they had a couple of brown marks on each & the other bag had the ones which looked O.K. When I came back after a week the bag of dodgy ones had all gone brown except for one & the other bag had one which had a splodge of brown on & of the others half were ripe & the rest still green. The ripe ones tasted lovely & I've left the rest in the bag-not put a banana in with them though. It may be as well to bring them indoors now to ripen if there is any sign of blight in your garden but I don't think we'll get any frost just yet.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Am in N Cheshire also and have still got the last of mine in the greenhouse as they're still swelling a bit. Working on the principle if they're still growing it's worth keeping them on the plants and am hoping they're OK. Mind you, most of mine have ripened anyway which is almost a shame as I wanted to try the green tomato chutney recipe posted elsewhere! Last year we had the local veg box man round to ask if we could supply him with green ones as there was shortage and loads of his customers were asking - are they actually possible to buy?

In previous years have picked the last ones when either they've stopped growing, the plants have given up or I've needed the space for something else to overwinter. Have then had good sucess with the brown paper bag / banana method but so has the abandonning them on the side with a few ripe ones method so maybe it's not that scientific and if they're going to ripen they just will!

Actually, its nice reading everyones tips and hints for ripening green toms. 'fraid I couldnt wait any longer and have made some of Earthbabes delish green tomato chutney - just look in the cookery section! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Hi all
My toms are nicely tucked up in a drawer with a banana for company. I picked all the ones that were a decent size. There are still plenty left on the plants but they have not finished growing so who knows I may have enough to try thr green chutney (don't think they will ripen on their own now)
I was surprised how many I got, one plant gave me 11 large ones and still has around 12 small ones on it!
One thing I have found out so far in this my first year is how much I really need to grow that we can actually use! This will get me more organised for next year, I have already sat down with pen and paper to plan and organise myself! Those who know me will gasp in shock at that !!

My tomatoes are still ripening outside and more are still forming
I did think it may be time to get them in but thought I'd wait until the plant looked as though it was about to give up the ghost! Any I want quickly I ripen on the windowsill with one that has ripened already. Seems to work for me

This evening I have retrieved three bags full from a cupboard, apple in each and they have all ripened nicely over the last four days. Shame the blight is in evidence but still in a position to cut out and freeze. Green tomato chutney making is still very much an option though.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I left my toms on the plant out side and striped back all the leaves close to them and they are finally ripening!!

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How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.”

Hi all,

I have just finished off my tomato's with a fabulous recipe for chutney as follows.
1Kg ( 2lb) green toms
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 bulb of garlic cloves peeled
1 - 2 green chilies de seeded and chopped
30g (1 oz) fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced
500g ( 1 lb ) cooking apples cored and chopped
125g ( 4 oz ) sultanas
1 level teaspoon of mustard seeds
1 level teaspoon of salt
5cm ( 2 inch ) piece of cinnamon
2 pieces of star of anise
5 whole cloves
300ml ( 1/2 pt ) cider vinegar
150ml ( 1/4 pt ) orange juice
500g (1 lb ) demerara sugar
piece of Muslin

1) Put toms, onion, garlic, chili, ginger,apple, sultatas, mustard seeds and salt into a large pan
2) Tie the cinnamon, star of anise and cloves in the muslin and add to pan.
3) Pour in the cider vinegar and orange juice and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionaly so that it does not stick to pan
4)add sugar and stir until it melts, simmer for another 1 1/2 hours until it thickens, the thicker it gets the more you need to stir it.
5) remove from the heat and let it cool slightly before spooning into jars with vinegar proof lids. It makes about a litre of chutny.

This sounds a chore, but the result is the finest chutney that I have ever tasted. My wife Glenda made it for me last week and it is simply delicious.

So don't worry about your toms being green, it is a blessing really.
Just add a little crusty bread, a good cheese and a large smile,

Good luck
Darren

I'll leave mine out until it gets close to frost time. Some of the plants were grown from pinched out side shoots so will be the last but I reckon letting them ripen at their own pace means I get a steady supply rather than a big glut.
Any still green before the frost will be popped on a sunny windowsill and some will be used for battered fried green tomatoes.

That sounds fab dwrudd, especially as you don't have to leave it overnight. May manage to save the rest with bit of blight on.

Will give it a whirl.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Hi All
Well they have been in the drawer a week now with the nanner for company but nothing has ripened!! Am I doing something wrong? I don't know whether to try the windowsill?
The plants they came off are still going strong and more are getting bigger!
If I can't get them to ripen I may be up to my knees in green chutney!!

I heard somewhere that ripening with a banana in a draw can take 3 weeks.

What I don't understand is how all these people have drawer space for tomato ripening: I manage to fill mine (just realised how that may sound!)

Well folks, I gave up on the drawer/banana method and put them on the window sill. Hey presto the are ripe but only upstairs, not on the down stairs window - any idea why they both face the same direction!. I am now ripening my fourth lot and the plants keep producing them. The ones I picked tonight I think may be the last as it is going colder now at night but then I thought that with the last lot I picked. Oh and they are the tastiest and juiceiest I have tasted in ages! Up yours Tesco etc !!

I can only assume that there is less light getting through the downstairs window even if the heat is the same.

At least you know what works for you now.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.