The Myth of “Vine Ripe” by Amy Poinsett

When you should REALLY pick your tomatoes...

Many gardeners and tomato lovers believe that the very best tomatoes are those picked right off the vine at the moment of peak ripeness. Something like this…

Image by kie-ker from Pixabay

Unfortunately, we often find that something (I’m looking at you, squirrels!) gets to those perfect fruits before we do:

Image by author

Or environmental conditions may cause problems close to harvest, such as cracking:

Image by ivabalk from Pixabay

So how do we avoid these challenges? Harvest early!

The USDA has defined standards for the various stages of tomato ripening. The “breakers” stage is defined as the point when “there is a definite break in color from green to tannish-yellow, pink, or red on not more than 10% of the surface.”

Image by USDA

As home gardeners, we probably don’t need to worry too much about these definitions. What is important to know is that after the “breakers” stage of development, tomato fruits no longer receive any nutrients from the plant. So harvesting tomatoes any time after breakers won’t deprive them of anything that they need to reach full ripeness.

By harvesting tomatoes early and bringing them inside to finish ripening, you avoid many the environmental risks that can impact ripening fruit:

   ~ Temperature:  In temperatures above 85 degrees, ripening slows or even stops.  And if nighttime temperatures fall below 55 degrees, ripening also slows or stops.  Given our unpredictable weather here in Colorado, either of these two extremes could happen any time during our prime tomato season. 

  ~ Weather:  Other environmental risks can impact ripening fruit, such as sun-scald and wind or storm damage. 
  ~ Cracking fruit:  Changes in soil moisture level, especially as fruit starts to ripen, can cause fruits to crack. 

And of course, harvesting early prevents squirrels from getting your tomatoes before you do!

So why not try a taste test?   Pick some tomatoes at various stages of early color and let them ripen on your kitchen counter for a few days. Compare those to those that you leave on the vine to get fully ripe. 

Here are some great resources for growing tomatoes:
PlantTalk - Harvesting and Ripening Tomatoes
PlantTalk - How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
CMG GardenNotes #717 - Growing Tomatoes
And just in case you are having tomato problems other than pesky squirrels:
Recognizing Tomato Problems – 2.949