Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm torn. Do I strip off some of the leaves to help my remaining outdoor tomatoes catch the best of the sun to ripen, or leave the leaves on to protect the fruit against dropping night-time temperatures?

Hello Primrose
I seem to remember reading somewhere that ripening of tomatoes mainly depends more on a suitable temperature rather than exposure to light as is often thought. So I leave the leaves on my plants. If the leaves are still green I suppose they're still doing what leaves are supposed to do so it seems pointless to remove them.
As I mentioned in our Strulch postings, I use straw under my bush toms as I reckon this reflects light (and heat as well) up to the fruits.

John

Lucky you Primrose to still have tomatoes
after the blight wiped out so many crops.

I would remove the lower leaves to allow the light and more air circulation. otherwise as John says leave them on.

Beryl.

Now i think i would take just half of the leaves off.

My tomatoes are ripening too fast for us to eat them, earlier on I thought I had lost them, but only 2 plants were affected, Shirley, gardeners Delight and Taste of Italy plum ones did very well, the plum ones were grown in a big cold frame, lots gone in the freezer whole and some made into a sauce.
I want to make green tomato chutney I may have to add some red ones to make up the quantity I need.

Bren