All of my tomatoes have started to ripen.. I’ve only picked three or four so far though. My question is, although I have already pinched out the tips leaving only three to four trusses on the plant but some of them have continued to produce more flowers on the existing trusses especially the top ones. Given I grow them outside and on a high rise balcony (which will be significantly colder) - should I cut off the flowers and buds which are still forming seeing as they have no chance of ripening before frost? By doing so would I actually speed up the ripening process of the tomatoes that are already formed?
Also, I saw this picture on monty’s Instagram page - and look at how much pruning he’s done! I thought one should just prune the leaves up to the first truss but it looks to me that he’s pruned the leaves up to the third or fourth truss! Surely the plants will need to photosynthesise to ripen and sweeten the tomatoes..? It does look quite neat though, the way he does it and I’m tempted to do the same..
Try the banana skin it does work start mine ripening every year with one it hasn't failed me so far even with the summer we have this year. try taking some leaves off so the little sun we are having can get to them. GOOD LUCK.
It's warmth, not sun , that ripens them. Sometimes, they go hand in hand, but as long as they have warmth, they should turn, they don't necessarily need to have sunshine. It often means bringing them indoors, depending on how and where they're growing.
Mine are ripening now, but a bit later than usual.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@burgess8bs So do you just leave the peel on the ground under the tomato plants? Do they have to be ripe banana peel or doesn’t matter?
@Fairygirl All of my tomatoes are ripening very nicely now.. I’ve just picked a handful today.. delicious! I overwatered then before which led to the texture turning mushy but since refraining from that the texture has definitely formed up. There’s a mini heat wave predicted for next week so that should give them a final push before autumn formally arrives..
Looking good @celcius_kkw. Glad they're doing well Much cooler here, which is pretty normal, but even so - they'll get there. It's only about 15 degrees in my growhouse today, [12 degree outside] but we had some sun yesterday so temps were in the high 30s in it. That's when it can be tricky growing undercover - just a different set of problems from growing outside
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
All of my tomatoes have started to ripen.. I’ve only picked three or four so far though. My question is, although I have already pinched out the tips leaving only three to four trusses on the plant but some of them have continued to produce more flowers on the existing trusses especially the top ones. Given I grow them outside and on a high rise balcony (which will be significantly colder) - should I cut off the flowers and buds which are still forming seeing as they have no chance of ripening before frost? By doing so would I actually speed up the ripening process of the tomatoes that are already formed?
Also, I saw this picture on monty’s Instagram page - and look at how much pruning he’s done! I thought one should just prune the leaves up to the first truss but it looks to me that he’s pruned the leaves up to the third or fourth truss! Surely the plants will need to photosynthesise to ripen and sweeten the tomatoes..? It does look quite neat though, the way he does it and I’m tempted to do the same..
You hang the skins (after eating contents😁) on the plant @celcius_kkw to help ripening. If you bury the skin its feeding the plant, but that is done earlier in the season, after the first six weeks of use of the compost, just to give them a boost.😁
It's been another odd year weather wise and in spite of the heatwave we endured here in the south the Toms have been very slow to ripen. I usually start to pick by the end of June to early July, it was Aug before mine really got going, in fact one of the outdoor ones ripened before the greenhouse ones started. Nearly all other crops were early . Assuming you gave them some high potash feed once the fruit started to form I wouldn't do anything different next year blame the weather not yourself.
The NPK value of banana skin is around 0.1 - 0.1 - 2.3 so its nutritional benefit is very limited. Lobbing beetroot into the planting hole is likely to do more good.
Banana skins can help with the ripening process but putting them in a warm room is better as the tomatoes will ripen just as fast but won’t wrinkle so readily.
Don’t give up, mines were fully green in central Scotland last weekend and now they are ripening up just fine. There is unseasonably warm weather forecast for next week too so all good.
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All of my tomatoes have started to ripen.. I’ve only picked three or four so far though. My question is, although I have already pinched out the tips leaving only three to four trusses on the plant but some of them have continued to produce more flowers on the existing trusses especially the top ones. Given I grow them outside and on a high rise balcony (which will be significantly colder) - should I cut off the flowers and buds which are still forming seeing as they have no chance of ripening before frost? By doing so would I actually speed up the ripening process of the tomatoes that are already formed?
Here the link the IG photo
Sometimes, they go hand in hand, but as long as they have warmth, they should turn, they don't necessarily need to have sunshine. It often means bringing them indoors, depending on how and where they're growing.
Mine are ripening now, but a bit later than usual.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Much cooler here, which is pretty normal, but even so - they'll get there. It's only about 15 degrees in my growhouse today, [12 degree outside] but we had some sun yesterday so temps were in the high 30s in it.
That's when it can be tricky growing undercover - just a different set of problems from growing outside
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
No idea why it worked for me. This was just a straight cut and paste.
Banana skins can help with the ripening process but putting them in a warm room is better as the tomatoes will ripen just as fast but won’t wrinkle so readily.