The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: stellaruth on September 17, 2013, 10:33:18 pm
-
Hi all,
I,ve grown very healthy tomato plants with lots of fruits on but they are still mostly green and have been for at least 2 months.
Does anyone know what I may have done wrong.
I watered well and fertilized them. I live in mid wales.
-
You're not alone. I've hardly had any ripe tomatoes from among the many green ones. I keep hoping though.
-
stellaruth, where do you have your tomatoes growing? Are they outdoors or in a tunnel or greenhouse? Ripening tomatoes outdoors is always touch and go, and I wouldn't think they will ripen now as the weather is definitely a bit autumnal - in Scotland anyway.
If they are under cover, I would think that they haven't ripened yet because they don't have quite enough heat and sunshine. My cherry tomatoes in a tunnel started ripening a couple of weeks ago, but there are still hundreds more to ripen, so :fc: the frost stays away. If yours are a large fruited variety then they will take even longer to start ripening than my cherries.
You can try tricks like putting some very ripe bananas amongst the plants, also once the first tomato ripens, don't eat it but leave it there to produce its ethylene gas which will encourage the others to ripen.
-
Agree with Fleecewife. I think the only thing you've done wrong is trying to grow tomatoes in the wrong part of the country! Up here in Scotland it's even more difficult, unless you have a really good and well placed greenhouse. Saying that, at the moment I can eat a few every day.... But only since last week, and I suspect most of them will stay green, yet again. Really should give up trying.
Btw, I've been told that even just the banana skins do the trick.
-
I'm in the midlands and this was my first year growing tomatoes. Firstly I had only one seed germinate but then got a plant from my uncle which did fantastically with loads of fruit. And even my one seedling grew well and bore fruit but I have the same problem, they just arn't ripening! Some are starting to turn so I'm still hoping but the weather is not good :(
-
Thanks everyone. It's good to know it's not just me. I grow them in a polytunnel but I do live quite high in the Cambrian mountains. The odd few that have ripened taste so good.
-
Btw, I've been told that even just the banana skins do the trick.
The goats are going to hate me when I nick their banana skins. ;D ;D
-
We had our Tomatoes in a Pollytunnel this year and most of ours have not ripened
-
Mine are just ripening now :fc: for the coming Indian summer. The other thing with tomatoes is to make sure you train them well and pinch them out when you've got them to the right size. Then they're focussing their efforts on ripening the fruit they've got rather than setting more fruit and leaves. Personally I'm rubbish at this and I've got two self sown plants that are absolutely enormous with loads of fruit, little of which will ripen, I suspect.
Also once it gets close, it is one fruit that can be ripened off inside - my mum use to put them on trays under the beds. Failing that, green tomato chutney. All is not lost.
H
-
Failing that, green tomato chutney. All is not lost.
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]Except we don't like chutney.[/size]