[hercsmama]

I currently have 100 tomato plants, all fully loaded, and slowly trying to ripen.

Here's my issue. We have gotten a lot of rain recently, and the fruit is splitting and rotting right on the vines. So I'm wondering, do you think if I pull the plants, and hang them up, somewhere, I can save the fruit?

The fruit is pretty much all large enough, that it really just needs to ripen, but is taking forever to do so, due to the weather. We are also expecting more thunder storms, with MORE heavy rain, pretty much every day this week...:smack
I keep thinking of those tomatoes you buy at the store that say "vine ripened", and have maybe 4 or 5 tomatoes all attached to a piece of vine..

If I do nothing,at this point, I'm losing it all, so I figure I have nothing to lose by pulling them all and trying, I'm just curious if ya'll think it could work...:hrm:

 

[gweny]

Yes it does work. I put mine in a window sill for up to 48hs or until they are red. I'm having the same issue here in VA. It is unseasonably cold at night and not much sun during the day. My cayenne peppers look absolutely gorgeous but won't turn red! Grrrrr! They need heat! Preferably dry heat and lots of bright sunshine.... Forecast doesn't look good.

 

[Awnry Abe]

Pick the fruit when it first breaks during the wet stretch and let it ripen off-vine. The fruit won't get any tastier ripened on vine (my opinion), and it will just get exposed to damage while on the plant.

And pulling the plant as you suggested should achieve the same effect, except on the real green ones. They will actually ripen (or at least become red).

With 100 plants, I'd be inclined to experiment.

 

[Dixie Bee Acres]

I have started picking my tomatoes at a full blush to near ripe stage, basicly pinkish orange color. If I let them ripen completely on the plant, the field mice and rabbits get to them before me. Picking them like this allows them to ripen completely within 2-3 days or less.

I set mine on q table on the front porch, but if you want them to ripen quicker, believe it or not, get a bright red tablecloth and set them on it. If you have just a few you want to ripen in a hurry and are only blushed, you can put them in a paper bag with a fully ripened tomato and roll the bag shut. Ripe tomatoes in 1 day.

 

[ksfarmer]

I wouldn't pull the vines, but I would pick them at the first blush. As an old horticulture professor says, " Once a tomato reaches break stage or blush nothing good can happen on the vine".

 

[Marcia in MT]

As an old horticulture professor says, " Once a tomato reaches break stage or blush nothing good can happen on the vine".

And my state extension agent says that leaving the fruit on the plant as long as possible puts more carbohydrates and minerals (taste and nutrition) into the fruit; it will turn color and soften off the vine, but it won't actually ripen.

That said, those with insect, disease, varmint, and weather problems should pick them early -- better than having no tomatoes at all!

 

[hercsmama]

Just a quick update...I went ahead and pulled a little over half of them, roots and all.
Hung them upside down over the bean trellises. They are ripening great!
The ones I left are still splitting, unless I grab them right when the barest tint of color is starting.
So I'm going to go ahead and pull the rest tomorrow.

 

[haunted]

You can pick them as soon as they turn whitish-green. They will still ripen. That way you might be able to salvage more of them.

 

[haunted]

Sorry, double posted.

 

[haypoint]

Living in north country, frost gets to the tomatoes before many are ripe. Once a frost hits the tomatoes, they are ruined.
Everyone I know, simply picks every tomato just before a forecast frost. Wrap them in newspaper and fill a box with tomatoes. I guess sitting on a window sill just dries them up and it isn't the sun causing the ripening anyway.
Every week or so, check them and remove the ripe ones.