Green tomatoes, oh when will you ripen??

So, I planted tomato plants the last weekend of March, and the plants have grown from a mere 4-5 branches to like 4 foot tall things. I have one normal sized tomato plant and 2 jolly elf grape tomato plants. The normal size tomato one is bushier and shorter. There are tons of flowers and many immature green tomatoes and all plants, but none of the tomatoes have shown even a hint of red coming on! Some of the green tomatoes have been green for weeks now. Is that normal????

What am I doing wrong? I'm craving some juicy tomatoes, but at this rate, they may never come!

I've been saying the same thing! I planted in the middle of March and have many greenies -- just today noticed that finally one of my Solar Fire tomatoes is slightly pink.

Mindy in Tucson

Don't go by how long you think they should take to ripen! Refer to your DTM (days to maturity) chart, and start counting the days from the date you put your tomatoes out.

I have loads of green tomatoes on my long-season indeterminate heirloom vines. And, every day, some are turning various stages of blush to red. But, I know that my DTMs on these varieties AVERAGE 90-120 days, so, when I get impatient and start to wondering, I just have to remind myself that my projected harvest date is mid-June to July 15th!

Then, I settle down, and remember to thank God for the ones that ripened early!

Hugs! ^^_^^

Linda

ryduj - I like to make a note of the date when I either sow seeds, or set out plants. Then I wait at least 90 days before wondering when they might ripen!

I sowed tomatoe seeds on March 20th and don't expect to pick my first ripe tomatoe until the first week of July.

Gymgirl ~ is that when one starts counting the DTMs? I've heard others say it is from seedling, still others say from the germination. Too confusing for me to worry about precise days.

I simply look for shorter DTM types when I start the seeds. That way, they should deliver fruit before we get too hot. They will also do better in the late summer plantings.

Hey, Pod!
I've always started counting DsTM from the date I set the seedlings out in the garden, and it's been pretty spot on for me.

You're right about the late summer plantings. I plant to root suckers rather than start from seeds again. I have a pretty healthy crop for a change, and can take some good suckers.

My goal next year is to start seeds indoors in mid-December, for plantout starting February 11-18th. I know this is pushing the envelop waaaaaaaaaaaay far, but I've watched Drthor's progress this year, and it can be done, as long as I commit to protecting the plants from frosts/freezes.

Her crop is phenomenal!

I planted out my tomatoe seedlings in Feb., & I'm eating tomatoes. Been eating them since 2 weeks ago. Of course I waited till after that big freeze we had at the first of Feb.I had planted out my sweet peppers,squash,onion also in Feb.

Behillman,
You ARE the brave one, aren't you???!!! peppers, squash??? WOW. I planted my onions in January, and today they are almost tennis ball size. I am so excited to finally have fullsize, bulbing onions! And, I still have until July before they reach the 100-day DsTM mark!

How are your squash doing? You must've put everything under a hoop for protection, right? Or a greenhouse?

Just hope the ants I'm beginning to see in my onion EBs are just visiting and not wreaking havoc where I can't see what's going on! I've learned to look for aphids when I see ants, but I believe it's the onion maggots I should be on the lookout for. So far, I've not seen anything that looks like a maggot. I HATE maggots!!!!!

I ordered some long-season Canela and Nicola Irish potatoes that I'll be setting out probably this weeked. That'll be an experiment in progress for our area, since it's going against all the planting schedule recommendations. But, Ronnigers (The Potato Farm) said you only get those underground potato "trees" by growing long-season spuds. I have some regular ones down already, but from last year's experience (and, talking to Ronnigers), I know I'll only get one layer of spuds almost in the same place I laid the seed potatoes. Ronnigers says that's all I'll ever get planting short-season spuds recommended for the Southern states.

I'll plant the long-season spuds in a 15 gallon molasses tub and hill up. My hope is to get a tub full of potatoes, from bottom to top!

I'll keep you posted.

Linda

As always, Linda -- gorgeous photo! I did pay attention to days to maturity and both my plants are LATE. haha At least I'm getting some action now.

Mindy

Aw man, so I'm just being impatient??? I was hoping for some miracle solution htat would result in some juicy homegrown tomatoes tomorrow. :) Seriously, thanks for the encouragement to wait....I do see a couple of the first grape tomatoes starting to turn a touch blush colored (or maybe it's hopeful thinking). Will wait another month to see what we get!

Over on the Tomato Forum, Carolyn posted this link to a "sequence study" of a tomato truss blooming and ripening, with photos and number of days from planting out. I bookmarked it so I can refer back to it.

http://www.tomatosite.com/index.php?NT=Cultivation&RE=Truss_Timeline

You folks in warmer country are 'way ahead of me. I was happy to see the first truss of buds on one of my tomato plants this morning. It's been 20 days since I transplanted them into the garden, and according to the "sequence study" I might get my first ripe tomato in another 52-55 days.

I now have 2 red ones...still too hard to pick, but they're red at least. :-)

Wish mine would turn red.

The thing I noticed about the pictures in that study is that the first green tomato was full-size for 18 DAYS before starting to ripen. No wonder it seems like it takes forever!

Every year it's the same thing here. Fried green tomatoes are my absolute favorite thing - but I can't bring myself to pick any green ones until we've got some ripe ones. It finally happens though, and then we'll have plenty of both.

Ozark, those photos were very cool! I love that someone took the time to count the days that tomatoes sit there being green.

Mindy

You all are way ahead of us in getting the tomatoes into the ground. I finally got the last of them in the ground a couple of weeks ago. I looked at them today and they are starting to take off growing.

Like the pictures of the tomatoes ripping.

Ozark,
I hear yah about all those full-size tomatoes sitting there trying to decide to do something!

I have a vine FULL of tennis-ball size Black Krims, and I can hardly wait! The killer is that this vine was the very last to do ANYTHING. In fact, I didn't think it would make it. But, not only did it make it ahead of everything else, the sucker I snapped off and stuck in a pot is full of tomatoes larger than what's already in the yard.

When I saw that plant this morning, I started re-calculating in my mind the advantages/disadvantages of planting out extra early vs. getting a good seedling in the ground at the right time (weather wise).

Seems they can be out there early or late, and if it's the right timing for them to grow, it'll catch up and maybe even surpass the others...

"Seems they can be out there early or late, and if it's the right timing for them to grow, it'll catch up and maybe even surpass the others..."
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I think that's exactly right. Here, our average date of last frost is April 15. I try to get my tomatoes and peppers in the ground the first week of May, depending on weather conditions. This year I transplanted them into the garden on May 6.

A time or two in the past I've tried to get an early start by transplanting about the third week of April. That does NO good at all - in fact, it's bad for them. I've never lost any seedlings to freezing, but I had to put buckets over them once in April. When the soil's still too cold they just sit there without growing until it warms up in May. Putting seedlings out early just exposes them to cold nights and more time with the moles and early-spring flea beetles, and I lost a few plants that way.

I read somewhere what gardeners say about growing melons in New England, and our season isn't THAT late but move it back a month and it sure applies to warm-weather plants here:

"Plant 'em in May and you'll throw 'em away, plant 'em in June and they'll come just as soon!"

Yes. Agree. The tomatoes seem to sulk if it's too cold for them.

Anyone try using the red plastic to see the tomatoes ripen faster? I read that it's suppose to help speed things up.

I was Googling around and saw that Solar Fire is a "firm" tomato, so I got brave and picked one. It was delicious! Tomorrow I'll have another! :-)

Yea my 1st turning tomato of the year.
Gonna turn that into a BLT next week.

I have 33 days to wait for my first ripe tomato. I hope I get to it before the squirrels!