Tomatoes

[horsechessnut]

My tomatoes are still out in the garden and some of them are still very green, they have not had a lot of sun over the last few weeks.
I live on the south coast and frost does not always start until later on in the year so ... what do I do with them?
Do I bring them in on the plant and hang them in the outhouse?
Do I just pick them?
Do I wait until the last moment until they are ripe?

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

 

[2scoops0406]

If the toms are big enough (i.e. mature), you can pick 'em and put them in a bowl with a couple of apples, that should "ripen" them

 

[chappers]

bananas or onions are better as they give out more ethelyne.

or find a recipe for green tomato chutney its lovely my mum made it once years ago

 

[breezer]

it couldn't have been that lovely if she only made it once

 

[2scoops0406]

bananas or onions are better as they give out more ethelyne.

or find a recipe for green tomato chutney its lovely my mum made it once years ago

Oh, is it ethylene, I thought it was acetic acid. but I'm sure you're right, thanks

 

[breezer]

acetic acid is what is in vinegar see here

ethylene is a plant hormone see here

 

[2scoops0406]

acetic acid is what is in vinegar see here

ethylene is a plant hormone see here

Err, I know what they are

 

[breezer]

thats not the way your post read , besides i didnt know abut ethylene

 

[2scoops0406]

Sorry, my last post was a bit abrupt

but acetic acid (ethanoic acid) C2H5O2H is a oxidised form of ethanol C2H5OH and Ethylene C2H4 is definitely not a hormone but may well be the bye product of a hormonal reaction.

 

[breezer]

no problem, no offence taken, but i also only quoted what the website that i refered to said, ie it is a hormone

 

[diyken]

I usually grow about 40 plants each year in the geenhouse and on the allotment I always pick them when they are getting light green and put them in a bowl in the dark where they ripen by themselves after a week or two. That method seems to feed the whole street.

 

[Thermo]

Rather than pick them individually, if you cut the whole cluster off and leave them on the stem, they will ripen a lot better, as they still take some nutrients from the stem you have cut off

Thermo

 

[Dewy]

Many years ago someone gave my father 12 tomatoe plants.
We had tomatoes all summer til autumn.
Before the frost got them he picked all the green tomatoes and roled each in neaspaper to stop them touching and put them in drawers in a cool room. Apart from the dozens of kilner jars full of bottles tomatoes and green chutney we only had to take a few tomatoes out and put them in the airing cupboard to ripen.
We had fresh tomatoes through til spring.