Newbie questions - when to pick and shading

luigiwu · July 8, 2013

I looked to see if there was a "newbie" section here since I'm sure my questions are quite elementary.

How do you know when a tomato is ready to be harvested?
I have my first one almost ready I think - yellow jubilee. Its almost completely yellow. But when is the right time to pick? Does anyone pick ahead of time and let it finish riping on a counter or?

We are experiencing 95 degree days in NY right now. Should I attempt to shade my plants?

Father'sDaughter · July 8, 2013

My first year really growing tomatoes I left them on the vine to ripen. When I would go out expecting to harvest the ones I knew would be ready, I started finding them on the ground with a few bites taken out of them. Now I pick them when they have started to blush and let them finish ripening inside. Whatever was sampling them seems to be partial to only ripe ones because it doesn't bother the not-quite-ripe fruit.

tnkrer · July 8, 2013

I am a newbie too. (2nd year growing tomatoes, so not a total noob). They ripen fine on the counter after they show color on the bottom (still green at the stem).
I have figured that when they feel soft, they are ready to be picked.
Or if I hold the tomato and turn it, it comes off easily when its ripe.

Experts, please comment on both these assumptions ..

We had three-four days of 95+ temps this week, I have not shaded my plants and they did just fine. (I have a lot of foliage on my plants though, so the tomatoes almost never get direct sun). I think shading the plant would become necessary in hotter climates, we in northeast won't need that

Doug9345 · July 8, 2013

You can pick tomatoes anytime after they start to blush. If you are battling things that are eating your ripe tomatoes pick earlier. Tnkrer does it more or less the way I do It. The ones that aren't ever going to make the house get picked riper.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Pick one and try it, if it's too green then next time let it ripen more. If it's too ripe pick the next one sooner.

kath · July 8, 2013

Don't be concerned about questions being too elementary- there are lots of people here who are growing tomatoes for the first time!

I try to leave them on the vine as long as possible but find they still taste as good if I ripen them on the counter- make sure they're not in the sun. Other people can taste a difference and prefer to keep them on the vine. Some varieties will tend to split after a rain if they've reached a certain stage of ripening so I always go through the garden when a storm is coming and pick everything that's likely to split if left on the vine until the next day.

Some years birds, chipmunks, squirrels...will get after some varieties when the tomatoes have a certain amount of color and so I'll try to pick them just before they get too interesting. I'm not too squeamish about cutting a bite out and eating the rest though.

As Doug said, experiment a bit with the varieties you have and see if you even have any pest problems. If you're lucky enough to be able to vine ripen them, you should be able to close your eyes and feel when they're ripe because they soften a bit. Some varieties also seem to taste better when not too ripe and others are still great.

Happy tasting!

kath

cythaenopsis · July 8, 2013

If you've got a fairly small tomato crop going, you can try cutting up some stockings or very thin socks and slipping them over your tomatoes that are starting to blush. This will help fight unwanted biting from animals as they won't see the tempting color. Once you're ready to harvest, re-use the nylon cuttings on the next set of fruits, etc.

luigiwu · July 9, 2013

Hi guys, thanks for the all the responses! I picked 'em - my first tomats! I am ridiculously excited to have them for dinner tonight!! Now, how best to enjoy to enjoy these Jubilees?

My plants got early blight and they are missing like 80% of their leaves as I picked them all off. My German Queen is NOT producing at all. There is one fruit on the whole plant while my Jubilee and Mortgage Lifter have a decent amount of fruit on them. Any ideas why that might be?

Redbaron · July 9, 2013

Jubilee did real well for me last year. It was the most productive by far. But the flavor is just a bit too bland for my preference. Way WAY better than the rubber tomatoes at the grocery store though.

July 8, 2013	#1
luigiwu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: ny Posts: 1,219	Newbie questions - when to pick and shading I looked to see if there was a "newbie" section here since I'm sure my questions are quite elementary. How do you know when a tomato is ready to be harvested? I have my first one almost ready I think - yellow jubilee. Its almost completely yellow. But when is the right time to pick? Does anyone pick ahead of time and let it finish riping on a counter or? We are experiencing 95 degree days in NY right now. Should I attempt to shade my plants?

July 8, 2013	#3
tnkrer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: MA 6a/b Posts: 352	I am a newbie too. (2nd year growing tomatoes, so not a total noob). They ripen fine on the counter after they show color on the bottom (still green at the stem). I have figured that when they feel soft, they are ready to be picked. Or if I hold the tomato and turn it, it comes off easily when its ripe. Experts, please comment on both these assumptions .. We had three-four days of 95+ temps this week, I have not shaded my plants and they did just fine. (I have a lot of foliage on my plants though, so the tomatoes almost never get direct sun). I think shading the plant would become necessary in hotter climates, we in northeast won't need that Last edited by tnkrer; July 8, 2013 at 12:53 PM.

July 9, 2013	#8
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Jubilee did real well for me last year. It was the most productive by far. But the flavor is just a bit too bland for my preference. Way WAY better than the rubber tomatoes at the grocery store though. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

July 8, 2013	#2
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,917	My first year really growing tomatoes I left them on the vine to ripen. When I would go out expecting to harvest the ones I knew would be ready, I started finding them on the ground with a few bites taken out of them. Now I pick them when they have started to blush and let them finish ripening inside. Whatever was sampling them seems to be partial to only ripe ones because it doesn't bother the not-quite-ripe fruit.

July 8, 2013	#4
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	You can pick tomatoes anytime after they start to blush. If you are battling things that are eating your ripe tomatoes pick earlier. Tnkrer does it more or less the way I do It. The ones that aren't ever going to make the house get picked riper. Don't be afraid to experiment. Pick one and try it, if it's too green then next time let it ripen more. If it's too ripe pick the next one sooner.

July 8, 2013	#5
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Don't be concerned about questions being too elementary- there are lots of people here who are growing tomatoes for the first time! I try to leave them on the vine as long as possible but find they still taste as good if I ripen them on the counter- make sure they're not in the sun. Other people can taste a difference and prefer to keep them on the vine. Some varieties will tend to split after a rain if they've reached a certain stage of ripening so I always go through the garden when a storm is coming and pick everything that's likely to split if left on the vine until the next day. Some years birds, chipmunks, squirrels...will get after some varieties when the tomatoes have a certain amount of color and so I'll try to pick them just before they get too interesting. I'm not too squeamish about cutting a bite out and eating the rest though. As Doug said, experiment a bit with the varieties you have and see if you even have any pest problems. If you're lucky enough to be able to vine ripen them, you should be able to close your eyes and feel when they're ripe because they soften a bit. Some varieties also seem to taste better when not too ripe and others are still great. Happy tasting! kath

July 8, 2013	#6
cythaenopsis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Hoboken, NJ USA Posts: 347	If you've got a fairly small tomato crop going, you can try cutting up some stockings or very thin socks and slipping them over your tomatoes that are starting to blush. This will help fight unwanted biting from animals as they won't see the tempting color. Once you're ready to harvest, re-use the nylon cuttings on the next set of fruits, etc.