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Tomatoes not ripening
in Fruit & veg
Hi folks,
I am in my secondyear of gardening so I am still a relative novice.
I have a wonderful crop of Shirley f1 tomatoes in the greenhouse but they still appear to be miles away from ripening
Can anyone give me any tips on speeding up the ripening ?
Thanks
Chaz
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Hi verdun,
I have been removing leaves but maybe not as much as you are saying i take all side shoots off and topped the plants a while ago.
I also have bubble wrap insulation on my greenhouse do you think this could be a factor in the fruits not ripening?
Thanks
Chaz
It's consistent temps that make a difference. Ventilation / good airflow is vital. I also remove a lot of foliage as it's largely redundant once the fruits are set. We don't have regular temps in double figures even in summer so they're under cover, but even then it can be tricky to keep the balance.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I just pick the new flowers from the plants so that the tomatoes would ripen faster. Reducing the water slightly can also help speed up the process. Make sure that your plant is free of diseased leaves. If there are any pick them out as soon as possible.
Thanks for your help verdun I shall report back
Odd isn't it; some people seem to think removing leaves is good for the poor old tomato plant. WHY?
No other plant gets this brutal treatment. If the leaves are green, the plant still needs them.
We have had the rottenest summer you could imagine here in West Wales, but we have despite that had soft fruit and tomatoes ripening in their time.
Tomatoes that ripen off the plant never develop their true potential flavour. Discuss!