Wondering how to get the last of those green tomatoes hanging from your plants to ripen this fall? Your tomato plants may be fading, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on the green tomatoes still hanging from them!
By late summer and early fall, even the most productive plants begin to look tired. Leaves turn brown, growth slows, and ripening seems to take forever. Yet tucked among those worn-out vines may be dozens of tomatoes that are green or just starting to blush.
It’s tempting to leave the plants in the garden and hope every tomato turns red. But once the plants are declining and frost is approaching, waiting can mean losing fruit to rot or cold. Old vines can also give pests and disease a place to linger.
The good news? You can clear out those tired plants and save much of the remaining harvest. Pick the healthy green and blushing tomatoes before you pull the vines, then bring them indoors to finish ripening.
How To Get The Last Green Tomatoes To Ripen
Ripening tomatoes after picking them is surprisingly simple. Even better, in many ways, it’s better for the fruit as well. Even in peak season, picking tomatoes before they fully ripen can help protect them from pests, sun damage, and other issues.
The truth is, tomatoes often ripen more effectively off the vine when given the right conditions. See our article: The Best Way To Ripen Tomatoes – How To Get Tomatoes To Ripen Better & Faster!
Contrary to what many believe, tomatoes don’t need direct sunlight to ripen. In fact, they prefer to be in a shaded area, where they thrive at around 70°F and with about 80 to 90 percent humidity. Good air circulation is also a big key to help ripening.
The good news? These conditions are easy to replicate indoors or in a shaded outdoor area. And by doing so, it allows you to finish ripening not only slightly turned tomatoes – but even those that are fully green.
Two Easy Tricks to Ripen Late-Season Tomatoes
As you clear out your plants, there are a couple of methods that can help your final harvest reach maturity. First, handle the tomatoes with care. Avoid washing them immediately as excess moisture can lead to premature rotting.
When harvesting, try to keep the tops of the tomatoes intact and minimize handling to avoid bruising. Sort your harvest into two categories: tomatoes that are starting to turn, and those that are still entirely green.
Ripening Tomatoes That Have Begun to Turn
For tomatoes that are already showing a bit of color, the ripening process is easy. Since they’ve already begun to mature, it takes little effort to finish the job.
Find a spot out of direct sunlight. Somewhere cool with airflow like a covered porch is ideal. Indoors, a cool room without direct sunlight works well, though basements should be avoided because of high humidity.
A wire rack is best for placing the tomatoes on as it allows air to circulate around them. Avoid putting them on solid surfaces like wood or metal pans, as the bottoms may start to rot. If there isn’t much natural air movement, you can speed things up by using a fan for four to six hours a day.
Gently turning the tomatoes every day will also help them ripen evenly. In 5 to 10 days, depending on how much they had already turned, your tomatoes should be fully ripe and ready to enjoy. Affiliate Product Link: Checkered Chef Cooling Rack – 8” x 11 ¾” Set of 2 Stainless Steel
Ripening Fully Green Tomatoes
If your tomatoes are still completely green, you’ll need to give them a little extra help to get the ripening process started. The easiest way? Grab a brown paper bag and a banana!
Place the green tomatoes in the bag along with a ripe banana, fold the top of the bag closed, and let it sit for a few days. The ethylene gas released by the banana will stimulate the tomatoes to start turning.
Once they’ve started to blush, move them to a wire rack or similar setup to finish ripening. Tomatoes will still store far better out of the refrigerator. However, as a last resort, putting fully ripe tomatoes in one will allow you to keep them a few weeks longer.
Yes – it really is that easy to ripen the last of your green tomatoes. And – even better, get to enjoy fresh tomatoes for at least another month.
And if you don’t have bananas – try a ripe apple! Place your mature green tomatoes in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple. Apples release ethylene gas as well. Fold the top of the bag loosely so air can still circulate, then keep it on the counter at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
What To Do With Your Old Tomato Plants
Last but not least, when you pull your plants – it’s important to keep them out of your compost pile. Tomato plants can carry a lot of disease. In addition, if any tomatoes are still on the plants, the seeds can get in the compost and be an issue next year wherever you use the compost.
Home compost piles just don’t get hot enough to kill the seeds or pathogens on the plants. For this reason, it is best to discard the plants and not try to compost them. Many local communities have large composting facilities as an option. There, the composting gets hot enough to kill any seeds or bacteria.
Here is to taking the time to get the last of your green tomatoes on your plants to ripen – and to keeping your garden safe too this fall and winter!
Simple Garden Life
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