731greener101
Cool Member
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: West Tennessee Zone 6b

Why no ripe tomatoes?

I planted ten tomato plants at the end of april.seven different varieties ranging from early to late producers.with the exception of our may thirteen inches of rain and subsequent drying out delay my plants have had constant steady growth.the plants are now six and a half feet tall with generous biomass(albeit not overly so).all plants have blooms and fruit.so whats my problem?its almost august and I still do not have a ripe tomato.the plants have lacked for nothing.my local nursery/owner says I am giving them too much love.that tomato plants need abuse/stress.this is the second year I have had this problem.anybody got any ideas how to get an earlier harvest?G

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Kisal
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

It's difficult to offer possible reasons, not knowing where you're located. It might be the weather, I.e. too much rain, too much heat, etc.

If you're fertilizing them, it might be that you're using the wrong type.

731greener101
Cool Member
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: West Tennessee Zone 6b

I live in west tennessee.the temperatures have been highs 85-95 and lows 63 -74.as I said the biomass is not abnormally abundant.I used composted cow manure and fish meal for N source.I do not believe in large swings in soil amendments and I use organic only.the rate of application was as reccommended.I mostly use kelp,alfalfa meal, and fish emulsion as fertilizers.I did not have this problem when I used triple 15.that being said I refuse to resort to that methodoligy again.G

NWgardenguy
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Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:38 pm
Location: Woodland, Washington

Having the same problem here in Washington State. We are on our third day of triple digit heat. Garden gets a decent soak before dawn but no more. I was told not to water them and they would ripen. Sadly, now they are bruised. The plants themselves fell yesterday. I'm afraid I'm going to lose the whole crop.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

You can try typing the above (in the subject line) into the search box at upper left of most pages, there's been a lot written here about it.

Short answer is too much water, too much fertilizer, too hot.

For NW garden guy, tomatoes absolutely will not ripen at all once temps hit triple digits. The lycopene and carotene that are responsible for the red color break down. The plant gets heat stressed. If that is usual climate for where you are, next year you might look for varieties bred for heat tolerance; they have names like sunmaster and solar set.

In the meantime here's a nice little piece about it:

"Why does it take so long for tomatoes to ripen? There are several factors that affect ripening, including amount of sunlight, optimum temperatures, excess plant growth, lack of water, too much water, or too much fertilizer. It takes a standard-size tomato 40 to 50 days after blossom set to reach maximum size. The larger the fruit, the slower it will ripen. Therefore, late planting can cause tomatoes to ripen later than expected.

If the plant has heavy fruit, it will take a lot of energy from the plant and can delay the whole crop turning red. Tomatoes need sunlight to ripen. Plants with excess plant growth can reduce exposure of fruit to the sunlight and delay ripening. If this is the case, remove some of the vines to expose fruits.

Temperature is crucial to tomato fruit ripening. Red tomato pigments, lycopene and carotene, are produced between 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. These pigments are necessary for the ripening process.

The optimum temperature range for ripening tomatoes is 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Extreme heat or cool temperatures will delay ripening. The longer temperatures stray from the optimum, the more stress to the fruit." https://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A8194

So temps much above 85 slow down ripening and above 100 they won't ripen at all. Too much nitrogen encourages the plant to focus on plant growth not fruit production/ ripening... To encourage ripening stop fertilizing, if the plant is very leafy and the tomatoes aren't full sized, maybe cut away a few leaves so the fruits get a little more sun (but don't overdo, they can sunscald). If the tomatoes are full sized (they don't ripen until then) and you are desperate, you can put a paper bag over the fruit and band it around the stem. This holds in the ethylene gas, helps it ripen.



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