Actually, the tomatoes are big and plump enough to finally be harvested and eaten. If the fruits still don't want to ripen, experienced hobby gardeners can help a little. This is how to get to maturity without further ado.
What can I do if my tomatoes don't ripen?
To help tomatoes that don't want to ripen, you can bend the plants slightly, lay out ripening foil or hang ripe apples and bananas in the greenhouse. Green tomatoes can ripen indoors in warm and high humidity conditions.
How to motivate reluctant tomatoes in the bed to ripen
For a variety of reasons, the ripening time of tomatoes in the bed or greenhouse takes an unexpectedly long time. It may be due to low temperatures or too little leaf mass on the plants. You can effectively help the ripening process with the following tricks:
- place a wooden board next to the tomato plant and fold it over on top
- the fruits must not come into contact with the ground
- Put a cold box over it and cover it with garden fleece
- depending on the weather, the fruits ripen within 1-3 weeks
- The ripening chamber is ventilated once a day
Alternatively, spread the innovative, dark red ripening film (€119.00 at Amazon) under the tomato plants. The reflected light waves encourage the fruits to also turn red. In the greenhouse, hang several fully ripe apples or bananas on the reluctant plants. The escaping ethylene gas accelerates the ripening process.
Uncomplicated ripening in the house
If the temperatures fall permanently below 10 degrees Celsius, this does not mean that you have to forego the enjoyment of fully ripe, juicy tomatoes. In this case, pull the plant completely out of the ground and bring it into the house. Hanging upside down on the clothesline in the warm cellar, the tomatoes ripen at 25 degrees Celsius and the highest possible humidity.
Individual green fruits are harvested including the stem. Wrapped in black foil or newspaper, the tomatoes spend the next 14 days in a warm room. The cover is ventilated once a day to prevent mold and rot. The process is even clearer if the fruits are spread out on several layers of newspaper. Place another thick layer of newspaper on top and fold the edges so that the ethylene gas cannot escape.
Tips & Tricks
No matter how big your appetite is for freshly harvested tomatoes, don't go for green fruits. The solanine content in unripe tomatoes is always at a level that is harmful to he alth. Even tomatoes with a few green spots are unsuitable for consumption. The only exceptions are green tomato varieties.
