Lack of ripe tomatoes

[WestHamRon]

As others have noted, very poor light and temps.
For the first time we have "stopped" our toms to encourage ripening.

[donedigging]

I am still waiting for my first tomato to ripen....

[oldherbaceous]

I'll share mine with you, if you would like, Donedigging.

[donedigging]

[alan refail]

The weather here has not improved - in fact it's got much worse. But the tomatoes are now ripening like there's no tomorrow. It's tomatoes every meal, plenty to give away and chutney time looms. It'll be red tomato and red pepper chutney and the famous Grilled green tomato chutney later on.

[MikA]

Just a small thought -

Where are the people having ripening problems growing your tomatoes. Maybe if you are using polytunnels, any slightly reduced light transmission compared to a glass greenhouse might be making the effects of the dull summer worse and delaying ripening?

[WestHamRon]

I have read various sources of information, but cannot make up my mind.
Which is more important for ripening, Light or heat?
Some ripen on "a sunny windowsill" others in a kitchen drawer.
Your preference?

[Nature's Babe]

A banana works wonders too.

[freddy]

I think warmth is the key.

[realfood]

Remember that there are quick maturing varieties of tomatoes, such as Sungold.

[freddy]

Hi folks.

This is the second year I've grown Sungold, and I can't praise them highly enough, the taste! And as 'realfood' says, they are quick to ripen.

Cheers...Freddy.

[John P]

Tomatoes are now starting to ripen big time,all varities.Better late then never.JP.

[Nature's Babe]

Has anyone tried stupice tomatoes ? They are described as Lovely flavour and cold tolerant. Cordon. 55-70 days from transplanting, where a lot are 80 or even 90 days to ripening

[glallotments]

I just wonder about the banana method which seems to be the equivalent to the use of ethylene which is used to ripe unnaturally. This was demonstrated in a Jimmy's Supermarket Secrets a while ago.

I know all fruits produce ethylene as a ripening agent but isn't introducing another source speeding up a process when possibly the fruit isn't at the right stage of its growth for ripening.

If supermarkets use ethylene and there fruit doesn't have flavour - is this because the fruit doesn't ripen naturally. If so won't fruit ripened using bananas similarly not have as good as flavour which after all is why we grow our own isn't it?

I've read a few articles about this and some say artificially introduced ethylene does spoil flavour etc and others say that it doesn't so what do others think?

[Colin_M]

I just wonder about the banana method which seems to be the equivalent to the use of ethylene which is used to ripe unnaturally.

Good question glallotments.

I think the difference is that Supermarkets routinely use crops picked before they're ripe to suit their transport & delivery requirements. The fact that the end product can be tasteless may be affected by that, plus any varieties chosen (again for the supermarket's convenience, e.g. resistant to bruising etc).

I think the main time we home gardeners would use this, is to eek out the last bit of a harvest that was falling too near the end of the season, rather than as a way of routinely picking crops before they were ripe.

Interestingly I heard that the use of ethylene was identified when a market gardener switched from using paraffin heaters in their greenhouses to electricity. They realised that the paraffin heaters had been giving off enough ethylene to help the plants ripen (obviously in this case, still on the plant).