When autumn knocks on the garden door, green tomatoes no longer ripen. That's no reason to mourn the fresh enjoyment. We know a few tricks about how tomatoes ripen. The following lines reveal the secret.
How can I let tomatoes ripen?
Tomatoes can be ripened by wrapping them in newspaper or storing them in a shoebox at 18-20 degrees Celsius. A plant can be hung in the boiler room. Green tomatoes next to ripe apples or bananas accelerate the ripening process by releasing ethylene.
With warmth and patience for further ripening
Green tomatoes pose a significant he alth risk. Even if there are only a few green spots on it, the toxic solanine content is worrying. During the season, experienced hobby gardeners only harvest their tomatoes when they are fully ripe. This doesn't mean that the last tomatoes of the year end up in the trash. This is how the green fruits ripen indoors after the harvest:
- pick all tomatoes that turn yellow or red from the fruit stem
- Wrap in newspaper and store at 18 to 20 degrees Celsius
- alternatively place in a used shoebox without the fruits touching each other
Specimens with some mold or rotten spots go into the compost. It is useless to cut out green or bad areas. The solanine remains in the tomatoes, as do fungal spores or bacteria.
How a boiler room helps unripe tomatoes
If a tomato plant still has a lush fruit covering, not all of the fruits have to be harvested individually. Since only heat is required for further ripening, the heating room takes on an unusual task.
Pull the entire plant, including the roots, out of the ground. Now carefully carry it into the basement, where the boiler room is usually nice and warm. Here you hang the plant upside down from the ceiling on a string. After a few days you will pick plump, ripe tomatoes. The leaves should remain on the shoots because they still release valuable nutrients.
Apples and bananas encourage tomatoes to ripen
Ripe fruits and vegetables emit ethylene. This gaseous, organic compound has a positive effect on the ripening process of other fruits. Therefore, place an apple or banana in close proximity to green tomatoes in the warm place. With this trick you encourage the unripe fruits to change color and break down solanine.
Stored in a cardboard box or paper bag, the tomatoes are additionally protected from annoying fruit flies and other pests. It is important to note that the fruits are not exposed to a moist environment during ripening.
This is how ripening succeeds in the bed
No space in the house to let tomatoes ripen? That's no reason to give up on green fruits. In the open field the project works like this:
- fold the tomato plant and place it on a wooden slat
- the fruits must not have any contact with the ground
- set up a mobile cold frame over it and cover it with opaque fleece
Tips & Tricks
Smart scientists discovered that red film spread under tomato plants accelerates ripening. The long-wave light pulses mobilize a protein that signals to the fruits that other plants are already bearing ripe tomatoes. It turns out that they emulate their lead. Well-stocked garden centers now stock the dark red film.
