If the mercury falls below 10 degrees in autumn, green tomatoes will no longer ripen outdoors. Find out here why you should harvest early and how you can still enjoy fully ripe fruit.
How can you let green tomatoes ripen after harvesting?
To allow green tomatoes to ripen after harvesting, you should wrap the fruits individually in newspaper and store them at 18 to 20 degrees in a warm place without direct sunlight. Alternatively, you can place the tomatoes in a cardboard box with a fully ripe apple or banana to promote the ripening process.
Harvesting green tomatoes? Yes – eat green tomatoes? Nothing there
Tomatoes contain a toxic alkaloid as a natural defense measure. In its immature state, the concentration of solanine is at a level that is dangerous to human he alth. Eating a single green tomato causes severe nausea and a bad stomach ache. As the ripening progresses, the high level of the toxin decreases. Good to know that a tomato doesn't necessarily have to dangle from the plant.
If cool temperatures in autumn prevent the natural ripening process, knowledgeable hobby gardeners resort to Plan B. As if Mother Nature had been left behind, she endowed tomatoes with the ability to ripen. The green tomatoes are harvested like their fully ripe counterparts. What follows is as simple as it is ingenious.
How green tomatoes ripen
Unless you grow one of the rare green tomato varieties, you are subjecting the unripe fruits to ripening. How to proceed:
- harvest green tomatoes that turn yellow or red from the base
- wrap each fruit individually in newspaper
- store in a warm place without direct sunlight
- Temperatures of 18 to 20 degrees promote the ripening process
- alternatively place in a cardboard box, together with a fully ripe apple or a banana
If the temperatures fall early in the year, tomato plants often still produce a lush fruit display. In this case, pull the entire plant out of the ground. If possible, leave the climbing aid on the shoots for stabilization. In the warm boiler room, hang the stem upside down from the ceiling. The tomatoes ripen within a few days and can be harvested as normal.
Tips & Tricks
The toxic solanine is also found in all green parts of the plant without breaking down. Therefore, do not let your playful cat nibble on it or mix the leaves with the green food for rabbits. Your furry housemates won't survive this meal unscathed.
