How to harvest tomatoes?

[Scrappy Coco]

Do I remove the whole cluster, as mentioned in number 1 in the picture? Do I cut off each tomato individually as mentioned in number 2 in the picture, or do I simply remove the tomatoes off without cutting anything?

(I didn't take the picture, I downloaded it off of youtube)

[rainbowgardener]

I think it depends on what kind of tomatoes. I haven't grown cherry tomatoes, but I think they grow more in clusters that ripen together. My full size tomatoes, the whole cluster never ripens all at once like the picture, so I pick them one at a time as they ripen. Just gently pull them off the stem.

[applestar]

Yep. In this instance with the entire cluster ripe, I would cut at 1.

They do typically start ripening from the base of the cluster, so picking individually as they ripen is basically what I would do. Fruits with jointed stems (pedicels) like the ones pictures will break off at the joint when bent up, ones that have smooth/unjointed pedicels need to be cut off OR harvested while still hard shortly after color break when the fruit can be pulled off the bracts without damage. Any fruit that is damaged during harvest should be processed immediately. ("Oh shoot, the stem end ripped. Oh well (directly into the mouth)" )

You don't want to leave fruits on the vine past their prime too long -- a couple of days at the most. It's better to pick underripe fruits that have changed color, which you can allow to ripen indoors at room temperature with plenty of air circulation.

Fully ripe fruits will have a satiny look to the skin and give slightly when held.
At room temperature they might last -- I want to say 3-5 days... (Does that sound right?) You need to process them as they ripen -- If you can't eat them fresh or give them away, you can freeze them or cook/can them in canning jars using hot water bath method or pressure canning method depending on the contents.

[JayPoc]

Most cherries will pop off the vine at the slightest touch once ripe. Even If the whole cluster comes ripe at once, I just pop them off individually.

[RogueRose]

I pluck off when they're as they get ripe....don't want the critters to get to them before I do!

[mattie g]

I don't grow cherries, so each individual tomato on any given truss usually ripens at a different time than the others. And I just pluck them off one at a time. I almost always harvest when the tomatoes are getting flush with color, especially if good rains are in the forecast. I hate when tomatoes split too much!

[digitS']

The longer they are out there, the more that can go wrong !

I usually have quite a few cherries and I'm out there harvesting, at least, twice a week. Even those varieties that are supposed to be "cluster" types aren't treated any differently than any other tomato. When they are where I want them - they go in the bucket and come home. I mean, so what if they can cling to the stem several days after they are ripe? What I find is that the ripe tomatoes on a truss will become very ripe while their neighbors will be just ripe and the next ones down the line will be sorta ripe, then come the not really ripe . . . I'd rather pick the ones I want.

Harvesting cherry tomatoes can get rather tedious. The smaller they are, the slower your bowl will fill. While trying to reach all of them, you've gone thru every contortion imaginable with a few moves you hadn't even thought possible! But, they are wonderfully worth the effort!

Steve

[TZ -OH6]

Sometimes when you have a big plant full of fruit that you can't fully use, it is easiest to cut off a whole truss of fruit when the top cherry is over ripe and the lowest ones are still green. Anything that has turned from green to orangy green or pinky green will ripen off of the plant.

Note also that cherry toms like to split so pick everything right before a rain that is not green to save it. Flavor isn't noticably different between counter ripened and plant ripened tomatoes.