Out here in the wilds of Washington State in zone 6, I have tons of tomatoes. About 98% of them are as green as an Irish Shamrock. Last year I had lots of ripe tomatoes by mid - July. Course, it has been ungodly hot out here this Summer. Currently at 100 degrees right now. Does that affect the ripening process? Is anyone else experiencing the same problem?
Thanks, Bill
I just picked my first almost-ripe tomatoes today. They weren't really quite red, but they smelled ripe and I didn't want the squirrels to get them. These were "Stupice", which shoulda beed getting ripe a month ago.
The problem here (I think) is the unusually cold nights we've had all summer long. Hot weather might prevent the flowers from pollinating, but should not prevent ripening.
Bob
I heard a folklore story years ago about a gardener putting a shovel into one side of the roots of half his plants to get them rippened. Does that apply here? I don't know.
Good luck.
If you have a bunch of plants, you can always do two or three of them as a controlled experiment.
Ray
| >Thanks, | >Bill | | I heard a folklore story years ago about a gardener putting a shovel | into one side of the roots of half his plants to get them rippened. | Does that apply here? I don't know. | | Good luck.
"I find the biggest mistake that home gardeners make is to over water and over feed tomatoes, which results in lush foliage growth, cool and moist soil, and just a few, slow ripening tomatoes."
Source...
"If they are slow, it could be attributed to a crazy spring," he says. "When you put tomatoes in cool soil, roots don't get established quickly and the little microorganisms are too cold to work in the organic matter and feed the plant."
[...]When fruits were forming late spring, the temperature dropped to 50 degrees or less many nights."
Source...
Thanks for your help and the links. Looks like I've been doing a couple of things wrong, and will do some corrections. At least I do have a ton of tomatoes...fried green tomatoes, anyone?!
Thanks again, Bill
My Romas are turning quite well... I pull in a bowl full every few days. The Celebrity type we have are just barely starting to turn... So far, we've eaten two. There's two more that are going to be ready soon. A little more patience, and you won't have to have fried green tomatoes (if you don't want to ;-))
Puckdropper
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Bill, I have never had to try this, but I read it in a book on growing tomatoes. The book said when your problem occurred, to take a shovel (as mentioned before) and cut straight down a foot away from the main stem. It says to do it on two sides of the plant. It didnt say opposite sides, but one side and then either front or back. That puts the plant under stress and fools it into thinking it better hurry up and ripen its seeds. The book says that it then devotes its energy into ripening the tomatoes.
Good luck and have fun.
Dwayne
"Bill Litchfield" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...
here on michigan, zone 5, mine and many friend's gardens are experiencing the same problem. sadly, we've rarely gotten above 80 during the day nor getting above 60 at night. we've even had many nights in the 40's, setting or tempting record lows.
They go dormant above 95 - that is what you have. Should have planted melons and okra as well. Me, I should have planted all greens, this has got to be the coldest summer in the last ten years.
And what's really tarting to worry me is that the tomato plants are starting to turn brown. That's typical towards the end of the season, but I don't have red tomatoes yet. I mean, they might finally turn red, but on dying plants. Don't know how much that will affect quality. Ken
I'm in Spokane, WA, seems the temp. is in the high 90's to over 100 everyday, no rain.
I have four Burpee Big Boy tomato plants that are producing very heavily, none red yet but are showing signs of ripening.
Cukes are doing amazingly well in all this heat, just have to keep them watered twice a day and they love the heat.
Big crop of very sweet, burpless, thin skinned cukes.
Bush beans, Okra, Eggplant all doing very well!
Boxer
We're in that little strip of zone 4 just south of Cadillac, and have been having the same problems. I'm thinking of rigging some kind of a hoop over the plants to keep the heat in at night.
The guy at the LeRoy feed mill was selling plants from a hoop house this spring. The plants are gone, the hoop house is closed, but the weeds in there are growing like... anyhow, they are bigger than the standard weeds.
Ray
experiencing
One of my neighbors to the North! I'm in the Walla Walla area, and my experience pretty well mirrors yours. Except that my lemon cukes have yet to set any fruit at all this year. Had tons of em last year. Just today I noticed a few of my Celebrity tomatoes are beginning to turn - rest of the other varieties still greener'n the Spring grass! Well, to be fair, the Stupice (pronounced Stu-peach-ka), tomatoes provided the first ripe one of this season back on July 4th. They've been the only ripe non-cherry type I've had here so far. Maybe it's just an off year, eh?
Best Regards, Bill
Could be but I was thinking maybe Hanford... :)
It sure is hot, over 100 again today, no relief in sight.
Green tomato chutney ? Yum !
My cherry varieties have started to ripen and have been a couple of weeks now, but my full sized toms (I think the variety is Shirley, can't recall cos I bought them as a small plants rather than from seed) are only just starting to change from pale green to, well, yellowy pale green. I am in the UK and we have had almost tropical weather - a long hot spell followed by rain, hot spell, more rain, etc.
Rachael
i have a ton of green tomato recipes...want any? ;o)
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