Fall Tomato Question

[jomoncon]

Here in New Orleans, we can get a bumper crop of fall tomatoes if we plant around August-September. This year because of illness, I didn't get my tomatoes planted until October, which really is kind of late. Right now, I have lots of tomatoes waiting to get ripe. December 11 is supposedly our first frost date. Sometimes we have temps down to the low 30s in December, sometimes not until January.

In order to hurry my tomatoes along, would it be helpful to prune off the smaller tomatoes. Would that help the larger ones ripen faster? Is there anything else I can do to get at least some of them to ripen faster?

 

[catjac1975]

Pruning is a good idea. Covering with a row cover when frost is predicted may help. Large green tomatoes can be brought in, wrapped in newspaper and left to ripen.

 

[catjac1975]

The red plastic mulch is advertised to make them ripen faster-don't know if it works.

 

[wsmoak]

You can ripen them indoors in a shallow box. Someone here posted about this and it worked for me. I got a late start with my Fall tomatoes and there were tons of green ones out there when our first frost was forecast on Nov 10th.

I picked everything that was even *remotely* starting to turn from solid green, and arranged them in a single layer from ripe at one end to green at the other. Every day or so when I chose some to eat I'd move them around, check for rotten spots, etc. Sure enough, they continued to ripen and I'm just now finishing off the last of the nice red cherry tomatoes that were decidedly green when they went in the box.

-Wendy

 

[HunkieDorie23]

I have never tried this but I have read that you can pull your tomato plants and hang them upside down with fruit intact in a garage or basement and let them ripen on the vine in the warmth of whereve it is you are hanging them.

 

[Chelsie roy]

hi
I wish you will be recovered earlier and grow bumper crops of tomatoes.
you should consult some expert in growing and enjoy growing tomatoes.