Tomatos not turning red

HELP
Have lots of green tomatos but they will not turn red.

They will. I have a volunteer tomato plant that is in almost complete shade most of the day. I was sure when it started putting on tomatoes that they would never ripen with so little sun. My daughter kept referring to it as my "fried green tomato" plant. Several of the tomatoes are actually turning red now.

Of my other tomato plants, the ones in proper sun, the Better Boys and Arkansas Travelers are just starting to ripen, the Sweet Baby Girls have been turning ripe for about three weeks, the yellow pear tomato started ripening this week, and the Sunmasters have yet to have a ripe tomato. So, it may be that the cultivar you have is just a later ripening one.

Karen

I don't know what your weather's been like lately, but if it's been cloudy or rainy a lot that could explain it, I think they need lots of heat and sun to ripen. People out here who live near the coast sometimes have trouble with tomatoes because the summers tend to be cool and foggy, but people who live farther inland where it's hotter and there isn't fog have much better luck.

Glad to hear all this....all my tomatoes are loaded with green tomatoes! Hope they don't all turn red at the same time. Better get my canning supplies ready just in case!

Robin

If yours are like mine, they will hit you fast and furious for about 4 to 5 weeks and then begin to slow down. I've had a stellar year canning tomatoes They are beginning to slow down and I can't say I'm sorry for it. Ready now to plant a few for fall.

Mine haven't started turning yet either. I was hoping they came in first, so I could get a little canning experience before trying other vegetables. Heard they were the easiest to can.

Just came in from the garden with 50# of cucumbers. Guess I'll find out how I do at making pickles! Wish me luck.

Robin

Most pickles aren't too hard. What kind are you making? I have a pretty easy (almost fail-proof) sweet sliced pickle my family has loved for years. Even though my "kids" are grown and on their own, I still have to make some for them to take home every year :-) And my grandson will sit down with a newly opened jar and polish it off all by himself! Hope your pickles turn out good. Let us know.

I dont know if this will help anyone, but the way I ripen any of my tomatoes at the end of season is to sit them in a basket with a bunch of bananas, and the banana ripens them, OR, better still, stick them in a drawer on the vine if pos but no wories if not, layer the drawer with newspaper, add the green tomatoes + a couple of red ones, and within a few days/week your tomatoes will be red or started to turn, keep the drawer closed and tomatos in the dark. Dont ask me about the banana, but it has somthing about methane released from the banana, I dont do science, I just need to know it is safe and if it works, dont sit bananas in a bowl of fruit as it will cause them to go over ripe too fast, hang them seperately.
Ecrane, come in hear please, your the very one to answer all this stuff, PS, she knows everything like this clever stuff and if she dont know, then it aint worth knowing, Ecrane, where are you!!!!!, WeeNel.

Thanks WeeNel! There are plenty of things worth knowing that I don't know though, and you know plenty of things too! You're right about the bananas, they release ethylene gas which helps other things ripen quicker. It's still early enough in the summer that I wouldn't give up on the tomatoes ripening naturally on the vine though (and since stores charge extra for vine-ripened tomatoes I guess they must taste better that way?).

msrobin--whether your tomatoes all ripen at the same time depends on which type of tomato they are. Determinate tomatoes tend to be more bushy and they make most of their fruit all at the same time, which means that everything ripens over a pretty short period of time. I would think this sort is better for canning because you get most of your tomatoes all at the same time. The other type is indeterminate, they are more viney and produce less fruit at once, but keep producing it over a much longer period of time. That kind is better if you want fresh tomatoes all summer long for salads and things.

Thanks Ecrane, knew you could answer this scientific stuff, had a good wee laugh to myself with my methane and your Ethyline, I think my gas would proberbly blown the tomato,s to smitherines and your would just gently turn them red, told you I was hopeless at the scientific stuff, My tomato's are way behind even in the greenhouse this year, hardly any sun at all but I wont even concider picking them till I know there is absolutely no chance, they are better on the plant than anywhere else for now, plus, who knows, we could get a great August/September, live in hope, Pepers are still only about 6 inches also, these are the hot ones, but hey, we cant have it great every year, we need something as a conversation topic. My buck deer has not so far gone into my greenhouse, YETTTTTTT, he'd deffinately be in the freezer if he tried that one on. Happy gardening, WeeNel.

Ecrane, thanks, my plants are short and bushy. I agree, more convienent for canning. I forgot about the determinate and indeterminate differences.

Naturelover, no pickles yet...got sidetracked looking up recipes on recipezaar! Planning on doing bread & butter, dill and a few sweet.

Robin

Gosh I forgot about bread and butter. Used to make them for my kids when they were small. We all loved them. We just FINALLY got a little over 3 inches of rain so maybe my cukes will make another round for me. I will make some bread and butters. I even still have my old favorite recipe. Good luck with your pickles.

My girlfriend is having this same problem. The plants are up against a fence so it's probably a light issue.