You are peeking--don't you know a watched tomato never ripens?
Patience--when they are ready they will turn red--all in good time
Same situation here, for the third summer in a row. I don't know - of course - what the problem is in your case, but I think I know what it is here.
I wrote to our extension agent, and received an interesting reply.
He said (paraphrased) that the 'maturity dates' given on seed packets are delayed by four days each time the *average temperature in a 24 hour period* is below 70.
(I'd assume this cannot be a hard-and-fast thing, but must be an 'average'.)
Well, we have cool nights here. The *average* temperature for most of the summer *is* going to be below 70. Say, it's
80 in the daytimes, and 50 at night: this gives an average temperature for the 24-hour period of 65. Ooops. Delayed ripening.The tomatoes will eventually ripen but this may not happen until *after* the first frost date (first week in October here) - in other words, it may never happen.
We are in the mountains in northern PA, and - for the most part - have very pleasant, enjoyable summers. Non-ripening of tomatoes is the price we pay for the cool summers.
My husband and I are building a hoophouse (unheated greenhouse) shortly, and next summer I plan to grow my tomatoes in the hoophouse to give them some protection from the cool nights. I hope this will work much better. It's not the only reason I want a hoophouse, but it's one of the reasons.
Pat
Interesting Pat, I've never heard that before but it explains that last few years of "late" tomatoes.
I'd sort of figured (informally) that the tomatoes don't like the cool nights.... anyway, this rather explains it, doesn't it?
You know: this year, I started my tomatoes from seed. I transplanted the first two plants (Early Girls) into the garden in WalloWaters on May 8. MAY 8!
They were LARGE plants by then, I'd transplanted them several times and they were about 18" tall, and stocky. Here it is July 28 and no ripe tomatoes! Early Girl is supposed to ripen in 59 days after transplanting (according to Burpee's catalog).
Mine were transplanted to the garden about 80 days ago... and they were much larger than most transplants when I set them out. No ripe tomatoes yet.
It will be interesting to see if the hoophouse improves matters.
Pat
PS (see earlier answer) - I think the fact that the Brits normally grow tomatoes under glass (in greenhouses) gives at least some credence to this. Their summers are fairly cool (by our standards).
We have a friend who lives around the corner from us - he's English. They moved to the USA three years ago: this is their fourth summer here.
He just routinely continued to grow his tomatoes in an unheated (plastic) greenhouse - I don't think he was even aware that most Americans don't grow them under glass, at first.
He's had many more ripe tomatoes than I have for the last two years (we only moved here two years ago).
Pat
I grew a variety of tomato called 4th of July that is sopposed to have one of the earliest ripening dates of any tomato. As the name implies if you get them in the ground soon enough, and the weather cooperates you'll have ripe tomatoes by 7/4. I got mine in the ground on May 8th. My first ripe tomato actually came off my Sweet Treat cherry tomatoes lol! That was about 2 weeks ago. The first 4th of July came about a week ago. I just pulled 5 ripe tomatoes off the 4th of July tomato, and many more are beginning to ripen. Many Sweet Treats are also ripening, and 1 of my Big Mama tomatoes has started turning yellow. None of the Burpee's Burgers and Brandy Boys are even close to ripening, they just keep getting bigger and bigger.
My weather has been almost exactly like yours (Pat) this year, aside from the fact we've had far warmer days (and nights) during this month.
The first week in July was hot here - temps in the high 80s.
I don't think we've had any temperature over 80 since then - pretty cool. I know we've not turned the air conditioners on since that first week in July - haven't felt the need for air conditioning. It's nice for people, although not for tomatoes!
It's not unusual for it to get down into the 40s here at night in summer, and very occasionally, summer nights have temperatures in the 30s.
Pat
I wouldn't swear to it, but I am pretty sure they are Big Boy or something like that. I bought them as plants from Wal-Mart.
I live just south of Omaha, NE.
As for the temperature, we have had it over 100 several days and the evenings haven't been much relief (sometimes the low is not even down to
70).The only other thing I can think of is to not watch as the first reply suggested. LOL
Cecelia
I wonder if anyone in the NG who experienced the cold wet spring has ripe tomatoes. All my tomatoes aren't ripe yet...I thought I messed up, too much nitrogen or such.
My "4th of July" (Burpee, 49 days) and "Healthy Kick Plum" (Burpee,75 days) are in ground 70! days. All still needs to grow some and are green or whitish green. My "Burpee Burger" (72) and "Big Mama" (80) are also behind. I don't expect either to harvest for ..im guessing ..
2-4 weeks.How long do tomatoes take to ripen, once it starts to change color? (generally)
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener
I just found one ripe 4th of July all alone at the bottom of the plant. Another cluster is yellowing. Finally.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year GardenerHehe don't feel too bad buddy my Health Kicks didn't even survive. I got the
4th of July's in the ground around May 8th, got my first ripe fruit from them about 2 weeks ago. My roommate has started calling them the August 1st tomatoes to make fun of me hehe. I am sure this has to do with some luck, but mostly weather. Something rather odd is that one of my Big Mama tomatoes is almost ripe, but ONLY one! The rest are still very much green and show no sign of ripening. One of the Brandy Boy's is just starting to ripen. I actually got my first ripe fruit from the Sugar Snack cherries (I keep calling them Sweet Treats), and now the plant is producing at least a few fruit each day, the 4th of July producing 1 or 2 ripes every other day. The Burpee Burger is just now showing signs of ripening, and still only one fruit...
Contrary to everyone's doleful outdoor-tomato experiences this year, we've had really nice results with the Red Robins that have been growing indoors on our big bay window ledge.
These are true miniatures, mine are in 6" pots. A slightly larger pot would be nice, but they'll manage in 6" pots.
We have nine plants - yesterday, I picked 20 cherry-sized tomatoes from them. This is plenty for one good-sized helping of tossed salad...We have about that many to pick today as well.
The Red Robins have been producing very nicely for quite a while now, maybe a month or six weeks. I think they're determinate plants and therefore won't produce fruit indefinitely, but they've surely been fine so far.
These have a terrific flavor, IMHO - they have the 'real old-fashioned tomato taste'. They aren't as sweet as some cherry tomatoes.
Seeds are available from Shumway:
I don't know if tomatoes are day-length sensitive or not: if they are, I can supplement the natural lights with a fluorescent light or two.
If anyone *does* know whether or not tomatoes are day-length sensitive, would you please post it? Thanks.
Pat
the one was such a tease! The flavor was not that strong. I'm going to let the others sit on the vine an extra day or two after turning red. I should have more by tomorrow, but they're smaller than I expected. I was thinking they were the 2" vine-cluster tomatoes I often see at grocers. However the largest in a cluster is about 1 1/2" round(same as the one I ate). It was more like a x-large cherry. More snackable than sliceable.
Are your 4ths about 1 1/2" diameter?
My Health Kicks are whitish green. I keep waiting for that bush to stop growing. Since it is determinate I'm expecting a lot of tomatoes at once. A friend suggested a tomato-eating party. Most still need to put on some size in my mind.
My neighbor has some grapes that are beginning to turn, but everything else is green or no fruit. He's got about 9 different varieties. They haven't done well this year. The grape tomato vine only has about 8 on it total. I think his ground has too much clay and sand. Poke a stick in it and you leave a perfect mold of the stick behind. No crumbling, no looseness.
Do you know if Burpee Burger is determinate or indeterminate?
I bought it as a plant and the website doesn't say. I've got eight all green. The lower leaves were decimated by some problems but it is growing again. I treating it as a determinate.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year GardenerThey'll just get real leggy if they have to reach for light. My cousin grows 'maters in her south facing window all winter long up here in Alaska. (And peppers.) We get down to about 7 hours of real daylight at winter solstice (Dec. 21) at this latitude, so tomatoes must not be too picky about day-length. I know Bernie doesn't use any grow lights, but her south facing window is big and doesn't have any obstructions (trees/shrubs) shading it.
She grows indeterminates, that threaten to take her living room over by spring. (Winter lasts from Halloween to May Day here.)
Jan
Thanks, Jan. That's good to know. We have a huge bay window facing southeast, and our days aren't as short as yours so my winter tomatoes should be OK.
I'm starting indeterminate seeds - mini-plants - Yellow Canary. I'll also start a few more Red Robins for winter, they are determinate, but have been very productive for me.
In the big bay window, I'll have:
Spicy Globe Bush Basil Yellow Canary Tomatoes (miniature plants) Red Robin Tomatoes (miniature plants) A miniature pepper - I forget the variety name at the moment Tom Thumb Lettuce My big rosemary plant (can't survive winter outdoors) Cilantro - I grow cilantro indoors a lot
Anyway, that's the theory. The window ledge is 8' x 2', so I think all those plants will fit there. I have plant shelves with fluorescent lights too, in case some don't fit.
Pat
Don't know where you are, but here in Southern California, with the "June Gloom" we had this year, is my tomato scorecard:
Three Early Girls plants, which normally have many ripe fruits by June: Two (small) ripe tomatoes by last week (Aug 4), plus maybe three more small in a couple of weeks.
Lots of Romas (normal crop).
Three yellow tomato plants (don't have the name): maybe 10 ripe tomatoes so far, maybe 10 more before the end of the season. (Delicious, by the way)
Maybe two dozen cherry tomatoes from 6 plants (a few more to come).
It's a meager year.
But I thank God for whatever harvest we got. After all, I couldn't have done it myself...
Jim Thomas
DigitalV> Pat Meadows wrote:
Don't know where you are, but here in Southern California, with the "June Gloom" we had this year, is my tomato scorecard:
Three Early Girls plants, which normally have many ripe fruits by June: Two (small) ripe tomatoes by last week (Aug 4), plus maybe three more small in a couple of weeks.
Lots of Romas (normal crop).
Three yellow tomato plants (don't have the name): maybe 10 ripe tomatoes so far, maybe 10 more before the end of the season. (Delicious, by the way)
Maybe two dozen cherry tomatoes from 6 plants (a few more to come).
It's a meager year.
But I thank God for whatever harvest we got. After all, I couldn't have done it myself...
Jim Thomas
DigitalV> Pat Meadows wrote:
Don't know where you are, but here in Southern California, with the "June Gloom" we had this year, is my tomato scorecard:
Three Early Girls plants, which normally have many ripe fruits by June: Two (small) ripe tomatoes by last week (Aug 4), plus maybe three more small in a couple of weeks.
Lots of Romas (normal crop).
Three yellow tomato plants (don't have the name): maybe 10 ripe tomatoes so far, maybe 10 more before the end of the season. (Delicious, by the way)
Maybe two dozen cherry tomatoes from 6 plants (a few more to come).
It's a meager year.
But I thank God for whatever harvest we got. After all, I couldn't have done it myself...
Jim Thomas
DigitalV> Pat Meadows wrote:
Up here in Seattle my tomato plants (2) are doing surprisingly well: the better boy had 4 ripe ones last week with a dozen more expected within a week or so; the early girl in a portable container had one, and a few more are expected in a couple of week.
I'll be starting my indoor winter tomatoes tonight, along with stuff that'll go out in the greenhouse when the 'maters are done out there.
For the kitchen window, I'm starting: Siberia tomato - 2-1/2' tall plant Gold Nugget tomato - compact determinate Oregon Spring - compact determinate Northern Lights - same, same Grandpa's something or other Pepper - a cute plant w/semi-hot peppers
I'm going to cut a couple of slips off the Tumbler tomato that's been on the windowsill, cranking out 'maters since May, and see if I can keep that going.
Several sweet basil plants have been doing great on the windowsill all summer. They'll usually last all winter, if I keep the blooms picked off.
For the greenhouse, I'm starting more lettuce, sweet peas, snow peas, broccali, radishes, and whatever else looks good. It's an unheated greenhouse, so far. (That could change.)
Jan
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