How long to leave on the vine?

[nopeda]

Does it improve the flavor significantly to leave tomatoes on the vine longer? I've always left them on until they are red at least half way to the top (these are Rutgers), but never noticed a significant difference in flavor between picking them then (and lettng them fully ripen) or waiting to harvest until they're red from bottom to top. If it doesn't make a significant difference wouldn't it be "better" to pick them sooner, so more nutrients can go to the plant growing more tomatoes, and putting less weight on the stems and vines, and reduce attraction for birds and other animals?

Thank you for any input about this!
David
atl, GA

[CharlieBear]

The verdict is out on that question. Many people in the more humid parts of the country do pick their tomatoes early and let them ripen in the house. If you can't taste the difference then to save them from birds and other animals then why not. If someone is reading this who can tell the difference then don't

[PaulF]

I was always skeptical about harvesting tomatoes early and letting them ripen off the vine. Finally a couple of years ago (maybe 5 or 6) I did a test on several different varieties. The result was that I or my wife could not tell the difference. In my small mind I still THINK vine ripened taste better when in actuality I KNOW there is no difference.

[imafan26]

Some of us don't have the luxury of leaving the fruit on the vine. The birds will get them if I don't pick them at first blush. A lot of the time it is the variety, soil, and growing conditions that give you better tasting fruit. Tomatoes cannot be over watered or the fruit is mealy and bland. Keeping the tomatoes on the dry side, not so much as to cause wilting, concentrates the flavor in the tomato more.

If my tomatoes are bad, the birds won't bother to touch them even if they are ripe.

[MattCVG]

I leave mine on when there's a little green left. But as other will say, I've had many ruined by birds waiting longer and I have not noticed a difference in flavor either way.

[Allyn]

As I understand it, once the tomato starts to "break" -- meaning the green color has blushed -- the plant has sealed off the fruit from the vine so the fruit itself is no longer getting any benefits from the plant. You can pick them at this stage and the fruit will ripen just as it would if you left it on the vine. As long as you leave it on the vine until after it "breaks," the flavor is the same whether it ripens on the vine or on your counter.

[ElizabethB]

I love nothing more than picking a fully ripe tomato from the vine and eating it with a little salt while it is still warm from the sun. Let the juice drip down my chin. Or a Mater sandwich. Bread, mayo, maters and a little salt and pepper.

Unfortunately I am rarely able to ripen tomatoes on the vine. The birds peck them to pieces.

[applestar]

My problem is usually not with birds or critters but bugs and slugs plus mold and other microorganisms that cause spoilage. (I do live in a humid area but probably not as bad as some areas)

So I like to leave the fruits blushed on the vine as long as the surface is hard, but pick as soon as the blossom end feels ever so soft but the equator and shoulders are still hard. This minimizes sucking insects like Stinkbugs, slugs and climbing cutworms taking advantage of the softened skin.

However, any injury including piercing by sucking insects, scraping or gouging by slugs and caterpillars can create entry point for mold. If there is excessive rain or accidental overwatering, some fruits will surface split while still not ripe. So it's better to harvest fruits before if you know there is heavy rain storm coming.

If fruit flies are about, they will zero in on injured fruits, as will ants. So it's better not to leave those out on the vine -- it's best to check your tomato patch first thing in the morning. I've found that even the split ones can be allowed to ripen for a couple more days if I rinse, dry thoroughly, then wrap completely in a paper towel to keep things out. If in doubt, I treat the damaged area with vodka or spiritos and then air dry before wrapping.

All my harvested fruits go in a web tray or colander which are placed on top of a cookie cooling rack or collapsed roasting rack to ensure airflow from beneath.

HOWEVER, if I have too many ripe fruits, they emit too much ethylene gas that will cause too rapid ripening of the damaged fruits which can result in spoilage, so I keep the injured ones in ICU away from the rest. But for the sane reason, you can get quicker ripening of desired fruits by surrounding them with the ripe ones.

Cherry tomatoes are exception -- I let most of those ripen on the vine until they readily fall off in my hand. They taste AMAZING ...but I do pick ones before they are fully ripe if I know they will split easily due to rain, etc.

Coyote and Matt's Wild cherry tomatoes will split if pulled off the stem so I carefully lift and break the pedicel at the joint or cut off entire trusses even with some unripe blushed fruits as well as ripe ones -- and let the rest ripen inside.. But they split if I put the super ripe ones in too cold water to rinse. Any super-ripe ones that are split will deteriorate quickly so I eat or freeze them right away.

[lexusnexus]

We pick them prior to fully ripe for a very good reason. The birds will get to them a just a few days before you pick them. I've never tasted any difference between leaving them on the vine until fully ripened or early. I'd prefer that we get to eat our tomatoes, not the birds.

[applestar]

OK what KIND of birds go after tomatoes? I feel bad that the birds in general are getting a bad rep.

In my garden, I'm happy to see birds in my tomato patch -- they are
... Grackles that take long strides along the garden path in very early morning right after dawn, striking down slugs and snails
... Robins that are usually after earthworms and occasionally cutworms
... House wrens that are mostly eating spiders but they do like "soft bodied insects" and not just spiders I sometimes see them with something long and brown with lots of legs (maybe craneflies) and something green with or without legs.
... Song sparrows (I don't know what they are eating but it's not tomatoes)
... Cardinals hunt for hornworms through the tomato foliage but I've never seen them peck a ripe tomato.

[imafan26]

I have bulbuls, mejiros, cardinals, spotted neck doves, the occasional mynah bird and cattle egret. The cattle egret is the only one that prefers bugs to tomatoes. The others will go after the sweetest fruit. Papaya, strawberries, figs, mango, lychee, lettuce, pepper seeds, tomatoes (they especially like bigger ones, hot peppers, sunflower seeds. The snails will also go after lettuce, strawberries and tomatoes.

None of these birds are native to Hawaii, most are considered pest species. The cattle egret was imported purposely to follow the plows in the cane fields and eat the grubs and rats. There are also Java rice birds and finches, mostly released pets they will eat seeds.

[JohnnyB60]

I love nothing more than picking a fully ripe tomato from the vine and eating it with a little salt while it is still warm from the sun. Let the juice drip down my chin. Or a Mater sandwich. Bread, mayo, maters and a little salt and pepper.

Unfortunately I am rarely able to ripen tomatoes on the vine. The birds peck them to pieces.

You have said almost exactly what I was going to say, So I'm with what Elizabeth says.

[GardeningCook]

Here in Virginia, I tend to pick mine just a touch underipe. Back in New York, I had the luxury of waiting for total ripeness. Unfortunately the heat, humidity, & critters here in VA just make the luxury of total on-the-vine-ripeness pretty much impossible.