Hi,
Currrently, one third of my tomatoes are red but they have an unripened green circle three quarters of an inch around the stem. I've never seen this before. Why is this and should I pick them now?
Thanks, Ed
Pick one and taste it. If it tastes good pick more. If not, wait a few days and try again.
You are lucky. I don't even have a tomato that is even blushing. Great big plants, lots of green, but nothing even starting to ripen.
-- Al (Long time gardener but new to rec.gardens.edible)
It may be the variety you are growing. If the bottom looks ripe, then pick them. The green shoulder will never turn red.
and try again.
plants, lots of green, but nothing even starting to
Same here. Great huge Brandywines, small green San Marzanos and Ultragirls. Even the Sweet Million are still green. I just lopped off all their tops and cut out all the blooms ... all the ones without developing fruit of a certain minumum size. I'm in southern Ontario and I figure there's only about 6 good weeks left in the season .. if we're lucky. I'm fearing an invasion of green tomatoes.
Long time gardener and occasional visitor to rec.gardens.edible.
EV
Green shoulders is a cosmetic problem in tomatoes. These areas may turn yellow but will never fully ripen before the rest of the tomato gets over-ripe and rots.
This sort of uneven ripening is more common in older varieties than modern hybrids. It's often associated with high temperature in the fruit and especially likely to happen in sun-struck fruit. Maintaining a good foliage cover will help to limit the problem.
O.K., how do I, "maintain good foliage cover"?
Thanks, Ed
"Green (or yellow) Shoulders
What it looks like: The "shoulders" on the tomato's stem end stay green (or yellow) and hard as the rest of the fruit ripens.
Cause: Normally chlorophyll breaks down as the fruit ripens. However, in some varieties, during periods of high temperatures and direct sun exposure, the chlorophyll does not break down, or does so too slowly.
What to do: This problem is most common in heirloom varieties that happen to lack the gene for uniform ripening. Most modern hybrids have this gene and rarely develop green shoulders. However, if you want to grow the older, susceptible varieties, minimize green shoulders by maintaining good foliage cover and picking the tomatoes when they're entirely green to ripen indoors, away from exposure to direct sun."
Source:
generally, it is easier to maintain cover with the taller (indeterminate) tomatoes. It is also easier if you cage the tomatoes (that is, if they grow inside a cage - mine are made of rebar), if you place the plants close enough to one another (like, 18-20 inches apart), and if you don't prune the plants. This said, I do all of the above, but I still get some green/yellow shoulders, specially in Brandywine and Stupice, which are both heirlooms. My Better Boys are all red around, but a yellow-shouldered Brandywine is still a much better tomato.
Overly zealous pruning of staked tomatoes should be avoided. If you *are* staking the tomatoes, prune them to two or three stems rather than one single one. Keep an eagle eye out for pests -- especially hornworms. Limit loss of foliage to disease by good mulching and watering practices (and maybe preventative treatment if foliar diseases have been a chronic problem in the past).
It's called "green shoulder" and is a fault.
days and try again.
big plants, lots of green, but nothing even starting to
Even the Sweet Million are still green. I just lopped
developing fruit of a certain minumum size. I'm in southern
we're lucky. I'm fearing an invasion of green
Follow-up... I now have two, count them, TWO tomatoes that are turning pink. Yahoo!!!
O.K., what's "a fault"?
Ed
A "fault" is any flaw on/in a tomato that will disqualify it from competition in a national tomato show!
Points will be deducted.
Cindy
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