How to grow late tomatoes: three steps for efficient fruit ripening

When the temperature starts to drop, it is not uncommon to see a few green tomatoes left on the bushes. UaPortal has prepared tips that will tell you what you should do to enjoy the delicious taste of fully ripened tomatoes.

Features of tomato ripening

Tomato plants usually bear fruit from June until the first frost. However, as the days get shorter, the ripening process slows down, making it more difficult for the fruits that develop in autumn to fully ripen.

To ensure that tomatoes taste their best, they should be left to ripen on the vine, i.e. left on the plant for as long as possible. Then you should consider harvesting them to ripen indoors.

How to get ripe and tasty tomatoes

1. You need to remove all the flowers remaining on the plant. This flower has no chance of turning into a fruit, so by removing it, you can redirect the plant's energy to ripen the existing fruits.
2. Tomato plants should have formed three to four fruit clusters by early autumn. To ensure that all these fruits ripen, you need to get rid of the top of each plant. Simply cut off a couple of leaves on the main stem above the top bunch of green tomatoes. In addition, removing excess leaves from the plant will ensure maximum light penetration, which will contribute to a better ripening process. 
3. As soon as the temperature starts to drop, it's time to harvest the tomatoes and bring them indoors. To speed up the ripening process, store them in a box or paper bag with a ripe banana. These fruits release ethylene, a gas associated with fruit ripening that can help speed up the ripening of tomatoes.

Earlier, UaPortal told you about the plants that need to be pruned now to have healthy flowers next year.

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