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Green Tomatoes and Flowering

MTB79MTB79 Posts: 52
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
This is my first year trying to grow tomatoes, Alicante variety and I have them in 20l pots. They have grown enormous, they are covered in tomatoes that are all green and have been for weeks. I have two questions regarding them:

1. Is there anything I can do to accelerate ripening?
2. As I said the plants are huge, they are covered in tomatoes, they are also covered in flowers still and are developing even more flowers everywhere you look. Should I start to cut off any further growth to allow the existing tomatoes to develop better and also to stop the plants toppling over as they were too tall for the container to prevent them falling in blustery weather?

Thanks a lot!

Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Yes cut the tops, if you are in England,  as the season is coming to an end, if outside. I would still do it for greenhouse ones too, as its your first try, but these still have till end of September to go.
     As for ripening, eat a banana, and hang the skin on the plant, this will encourage ripening faster. Hope this helps.😁
  • Chris314Chris314 Posts: 51
    edited August 2020
    I've grown Alicante this year in my greenhouse and so far only had half a dozen ripe tomatoes, the rest are still green. As suggested above, they'll be destined for chutney..
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I don't know about when to top them, but I wouldn't give up hope on them ripening yet. We could have good weather right into late September. You never know. We didn't really have a winter here last year.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • MTB79MTB79 Posts: 52
    Thanks for the advice everyone. I have taken a fair bit of growth, all the flowers and very small tomatoes off and just left the larger ones as you can see. Hopefully they ripen a bit, it's meant to be nice tomorrow....


  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Had such a glut of big Alicante tomatoes last week ( greenhouse grown) that I had to make tomato chutney a month early. The outside ones are yet to ripen. The greenhouse is a jungle this year.
    This was two weeks ago  the cucumbers cover the netting now.


  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Be patient!
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    @purplerallim like a jungle, you say? Challenge accepted!


  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It's only mid august!  Plenty of time to ripe tomatoes yet.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Will have to get an up to date photo on Saturday @strelitzia32 🤣
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