When to pick tomatoes?

[Lisa0825]

The few tomatoes I have picked so far were about halfway between the size of a golf ball and a baseball... not all that big. But they had been stuck at that size for weeks, not getting bigger, and not ripening, and the plants weren't growing much either, so I picked them and ripened them on the window sill. Now the plants are growing better, and I also see more tiny little tomatoes starting. So my question is, as they are growing, when is the right time to pick them? Even if they don't seem to be growing more or ripening for quite some time, should I continue to wait and be patient, or after say a few weeks, should I go ahead and pick them? Or does it matter which way I do it? Does ripening on the plant make them better?

Thanks! :pals:

[bearfan454]

1. I pick mine as soon as they even begin to turn from green

to a light orange before going red. Mine ripen in the window or on the counter. If I don't do it that way the birds will get most of them.

[Lisa0825]

2. My cherry tomatoes have turned orange and I picked them, but

the "regular" size tomatoes have stayed green for over three weeks with no change in size or color.

[KSinTX]

3. Hi! I tend to let them ripen on the vine

I find they're just that more sweet. I've had to net the top of the garden and that keeps the birds out. It doesn't do much for the stinkbugs, but that seems to be so last year (we had about flood level rains well into the summer). I don't know if you're plucking your suckers and keeping growth to the main stems, but if I don't do that I find the 'maters are smaller and take longer to mature.

HTH :hi:

[Lisa0825]

6. Please elaborate on

"plucking the suckers." :shrug: LOL

[ThomWV]

4. Before the summer is over you will have bright red tomatoes rotting on the vine

Have some patience, let them ripen. Unless you are canning don't pick them until they are ready to eat and don't pick them until you are ready to eat.

There are some varieties that don't get very big and it can take a tomato weeks to ripen. Also, the type of plant you used (determinant or indeterminate) controls when the fruit will ripen. Some plants ripen all of their fruit at once (determinant) and others (indeterminate) ripen fruit sequentially as the fruit matures.

Basically it works like this, if you have bush tomatoes the plant will make buds and tomatoes from maturity right up unto the very tip bud has been fertilized, and then all of the tomatoes will ripen at about the same time and then the plant will die. With indeterminate (climbing type tomatoes) the plant will continue to make fruit and it will continue to ripen continuously until the plant is killed, usually by frost.

[Lisa0825]

5. Thanks, ThomWV

I only picked the few I did because the small plants didn't seem to be growing. I remember the great post you did for me about determinant and indeterminate. I guess I expected them to all come out at the same time and then ripen, not in twos, hang on the bush for 2 months, and then ripen. Crazy bush! LOL! OK, I won't pick anymore, except maybe on the smallest plant to give it more time to grow the plant bigger.

[Kolesar]

8. The distinction of what makes a tomato plant a "vining" tomato plant had escaped me

From your post I got the insight that "vining" means tomato plants that are not bush tomato plants (and those are usually determinate plants). Am I correct?

Now I expect that I will be doing a lot of pruning.

[ThomWV]

9. I always have to be careful not to mix the two types up

I always have to think about this one because for some reason I get them mixed up. This time I'll be sure to get it right.

Determinant tomatoes are bush tomatoes. They will grow to a height of maybe 3 feet or so and you do not want to prune them. Determinant plants will stop growing when the top bud is pollinated and once that happens all of the fruit will begin to ripen. The ripening usually takes about 2 weeks but the point is that all of the plant's fruit will ripen at about the same time.

Indeterminant tomatoes are vine type tomatoes. They require support and if you want to you can prune them, though I don't think it makes any difference if you do or if you don't. These tomatoes will grow tall, some say up to 8 feet or more. I don't think I've ever grown any taller than 5' myself. The thing about these tomatoes is that they will continue to grow and produce fruit right up until something kills them, frost usually. Their fruit ripen all season once they get started.

Now, who would want to grow the different types? Well, if you were a commercial grower the only plants you would have any interest in would be determinants. You don't want the labor expense of staking them, you want to get out there one time and pick your crop (once again, labor cost issue) and when you do you want them all to be at the same stage of unripeness so they can be hard as stones - essential for shipping in crates where they are stacked more than 4 deep. Taste be damned, let 'em ripen on the truck. Here is an observation for you, not 100% accurate to be sure, but not too far off either. Most of these tomatoes grow to about the size of a beer can top and they are hard as golf balls. Generally speaking they have less taste than indeterminants but to make up for it they are also pretty good about not splitting and they do ripen to a beautiful rich red color. Where these tomatoes really shine is if you can. Because they all come on at the same time you get to do your canning and be done with it. Those of you who have spent the searing days of August in a steaming kitchen full of boiling water and every burner doing duty, peeling, chopping, filling quart after endless quart will appreciate the determinants.

Indeterminant tomatoes tend to do their own thing independent of your wishes. They will grow enormous fruit, often oddly shaped too. They tend to be tangy fruit, just the thing for people who like to bite into a tomato and have it bite back a little bit. When you grow indeterminants you will be picking tomatoes all season long. That's nice unless you happen to can. Unless you overplant its difficult to have enough ready to do at the same time with indeterminants.

[Kolesar]

10. Very good!

I think that something can be said for determinate Roma tomatoes that a gardener can grow, can all at once, and then have a pasty tomato sauce to use for cooking in the off season.

[Gormy Cuss]

7. Sometimes the plant likes a jump start.

Picking the early fruit seems to have triggered a growth spurt, so it wasn't a bad idea. I'm of the school that believes the first few flowers should be pinched off if the plant isn't good size (18" to 2 ft tall) but what ThomWV says is true -- patience is needed. The first few seem to take forever to ripen yet soon enough you'll have more than you know what to do with.

They always taste better if ripened on the vine. What varieties have produced that size tomato? It sounds like the size of a typical Early Girl type hybrid.