Looking for the best way to get those green tomatoes on your tomato plants to finally start to ripen to the perfect shade of red, yellow or orange?
One of the most frustrating things of all for gardeners is waiting for their tomatoes to ripen. Not only can it seem to take forever for their tomatoes to finally turn, but all too often, by the time they are fully ripe on their plants, the tomatoes have sustained some type of blemish or damage.
The fact is, the longer a tomato fruit hangs on the vine, the more susceptible it is to damage from bruising, insects or hungry animals. In addition, the longer it dangles from its stem, the greater the chance for it to split and crack from the sun’s rays as well.
So that leads to the big question – how do you get your tomatoes to ripen better and faster without issue? The surprising answer is that you actually need to be picking your tomatoes way earlier than you ever thought – and allowing them to ripen off the vine!
The Best Way To Ripen Tomatoes – And How To Do It!
So why is ripening tomatoes off the vine the best method for success? Because not only will it help your tomatoes to ripen faster than ever, it also helps to keep your tomatoes safe from pests and injury. And perhaps best of all, it actually will help your plants produce more tomatoes!
Contrary to popular belief, tomatoes do not ripen on the vine better than off of it. In fact, the opposite is actually true.
As soon as a tomato starts to turn the slightest shade of pinkish-red, it has started the ripening process. Once this occurs, it no longer needs nutrients from the plant to mature or develop its flavor. And because of that, it stops absorbing any energy sent its way.
The problem is, the plant itself continues to send (and waste) energy to the tomato in a needless attempt to try to help it. Energy that could and should be going instead to create more blooms and produce more fruit.
Last but not least, the more tomatoes that remain on a plant, the more energy the plant wastes on trying to feed them instead of producing more blooms. So the sooner and more often you can pick your tomatoes – the better!
But picking tomatoes as soon as they slightly turn isn’t only good for saving plant nutrients and energy, it’s also better for helping the tomato to ripen faster and without issue.
How so? Because once it’s off the plant, damage from insects and animals is no longer an issue. Nor is bruising, splitting or cracking. And best of all – you can then place the tomato in the ideal place where it ripens best!
Where To Ripen Tomatoes Off The Vine – The Best Way To Ripen Tomatoes
Another big misconception about tomatoes is that they need sunlight and heat to ripen. Again, this is simply not true. In fact, they actually ripen better out of direct sunlight than in it. And they ripen far faster and better when the temperature is cooler – somewhere between 65° and 75° (F).
The hot summer sun can scald tomatoes. And if hot enough, it can also cause them to split and crack. See our article: How To Keep Tomatoes From Splitting & Cracking – Keep Your Harvest Safe!
This is exactly why as soon as your tomatoes turn to about 1/8th to 1/4 of their color, it’s best to pluck them from the plant. Then all that is left is to find the perfect location to ripen!
For ripening, select an area that is shaded from direct sunlight, is cooler, and gets plenty of air flow. Covered porches are usually good for this – or even underneath the cool shade of a big tree. If placing outside, always remember to protect them from animals that might find them delicious as well.
To get them to ripen fast and evenly, place them on a screen or wire baking rack. This will provide the fruit with excellent airflow on all sides. For large quantities, you can even build a harvest rack from a few 2x4s and wire mesh screen. See: DIY Harvest Rack Plans
A Few Extra Tips To Help Your Tomatoes Ripen Faster
Tomatoes will ripen even better if you harvest them with a bit of stem left attached to the fruit. Since the stem on an immature tomato can be tough, it’s often best to use a pair of sharp scissors or hand pruners to cut the stem off. Affiliate Product Link: Gonicc 8″ Titanium Bypass Pruning Shears
Also, you do not need to wash the tomatoes after harvesting. In fact, it’s best to leave them as is and only wash them before consuming or processing them. Washing them prior to ripening can take off helpful micro organisms that help the tomato.
Finally, there are a few locations that you will want to avoid using for ripening your harvest – and the first is the old standby – the sunny windowsill.
Contrary to what many might think, a sunny windowsill is actually not good at all for trying to get tomatoes to turn ripe. The sunlight and heat coming through the window is magnified by the glass. It can cause the fruit to ripen unevenly and cause blistering and cracking.
Keep Those Tomatoes Out Of The Refrigerator…
One last note on ripening, even though it’s cool – you never want to ripen your tomatoes in a refrigerator. When you put tomatoes in a refrigerator, two things happen. First, the ripening process actually stops altogether. Second, the tomatoes will quickly start to lose not only their nutrient values but their flavor as well.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a cold sliced tomato on your BLT. Just wait to put the already ripened tomato in the fridge a few hours prior to eating or slicing.
Here’s to getting the most from your tomato plants this year – and ripening all of those tomatoes off the vine to keep your plants productive!
Simple Garden Life
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Simple Garden Life is a website dedicated to keeping gardening fun, simple and enjoyable! We publish two new articles each week along with a new garden podcast episode every two weeks. This article may contain affiliate links.