green tomatoes

[tennesmm]

I finally got my tomatoes planted on the 4th of July. They now look great and have lots of tomatoes on the vines, but I fear that we will have a frost before they ripen (this is Wisconsin!). Is there any way to hasten the ripening process, or any other suggestions as to how to get a crop in case of early frost? Thanks

[The Helpful Gardener]

No good way to speed the ripening, but if frost threatens you can uproot the whole plant and hang it somewhere warm and dry and they'll ripen on the vine...

Scott

[opabinia51]

It's a bit late now but, you can buy little portable greenhouses and place them over the plants once you have tomatoes and that will quicken the ripening process. It will also provide some resistance from the frost.
You can build the same thing with some PVC pipes and plastic.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Thanks for the suggestion!

Scott

[Newt]

Another 'trick' I've used is to harvest them green and pack them in a box wrapped in newspaper and then cover with more paper or a lid. Brown paper bags work well too.

For light night frosts you can cover the plants with sheets for the night. Remove when the temps warm up in the morning.

Newt