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Damn, I bought three different tomato plants from garden centre and have just noted that 2 of them are of greenhouse variety; Shirley and Beefsteak.

Although all 3 plants have fruited fine, I fear I'm going to be left with green tomatoes again!!! Unfortunately I don't have a greenhouse, so does this mean I'm more likely to have green tomatoes (compounded by the awful wet weather not helping)?

I've collected tons of green tomatoes from a skip dumped by a tomato farmer which always go red after a few days or even weeks of storage but this never happens with my homegrown tomatoes.

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Food for Free

Shirley can be grown outdoors, Beefsteak I'm not sure. Given the awful weather we've been having I wonder if any of our outdoor crops will ripen. My greenhouse ones are struggling.

Hi Rustylady,

I can confirm that Shirley is doing much better, has borne more fruits (as they say it's a heavy cropper) than Beefsteak. With weather like this, greenhouse or no greenhouse makes no difference I guess.

I'm feeling a little more hopeful that I might have red tomatoes from Shirley.

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Food for Free

If this helps at all (!) at the end of the season, if I'm left with green tomatoes still on the plants, and there's lots of manky foliage and all, I pick the tommies and stick them in a drawer with a very ripe banana. The banana 'kick-starts' the tomatoes into ripening, and when the Nana is way too ripe, replace it with a 'less ripe' one.

I hope your situation doesn't see you doing this quite this early though!
Good Luck, and let's pray for Sunshine!

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

It's still only July Veg 4681. Plenty of time for you tomatoes to ripen. And I've always found any that are still green at the end of the season, if you just take them indoors, and leave them lying about anywhere, they will ripen fine. Do let's know how it goes. I've just got my first red outdoor tomato now. The greenhouse toms are still little and green. Strange or what !

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Yes, it is still early. Don't fret.

I've had a fair few outdoor cherry tomatoes - they are always the earliest. My first outdoor medium-sized tom (Ferline) is nearly ripe, and one large (Brandywine) should be ready in a week or so, but the bulk will not be coming until mid-end August.

I don't grow any tomatoes to maturity in my greenhouse - it's too hot. I find it useful to start them and grow them to flowering, but that's it.

I was picking ripe toms outdoors in november last year, but the green ones that I brought indoors rotted as allways seems to happen to me Recon I shall have to get on me bike and journey north of the border for a lesson in Tomato ripening from Aunty Alice

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It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

A journey north of the border might be good for you Grandpadragons But I'm not your Aunty

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Out of interest, I once read the results of a research project on ripening tomatoes off the plant. It turned out, in this instance, that the best results came from putting a ripe tomato with the unripe ones - they ripened more quickly than those put with a ripe banana.

I might do my own experiment at the end of the season.

No your far to young and beautiful to be my Aunt The only one I have left is 86, but mum is gowing strong at 97

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It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

Thanks for the tip Cutecumber. I'm sure a lot of people will find it useful this year.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.