Placing tomatoes next to a banana will help them ripen, but speed things up by placing them in a bag or cardboard box. (If anyone looks askance, just pretend they’re a new art installation.) This does work: last year I ate a few tomatoes in December that finally ripened on plants in my shed. Shake the soil off the roots (or cut them off if you wish) and hang it - some people cut off the leaves, others don’t - in a frost-free, airy place: inside the shed or garage is fine, but they will ripen more quickly inside the warmer temperatures of the home. The theory is that the fruit will ripen better while still on the plant, even if it is no longer in the ground. If they are in pots, make sure they are in the biggest suntrap you can find: sunny and sheltered.Īs tomato expert Craig LeHoullier writes in his book Epic Tomatoes: “Though they will reach full colour, the flavour and texture of green-picked, indoor-ripened tomatoes are typically inferior to those ripened on the vine.” With that in mind, this strategy worth a try, especially if you are keen to clear the ground for another crop: leave the tomatoes on the vine, but uproot the whole plant and hang it upside down to store.
My neighbour drapes bubble wrap around his outdoor tomato plants in pots to encourage ripening, creating a mini greenhouse effect: According to Carl Wilson of Colorado State University Extension, this works better for semi-red tomatoes that just need a final push, and less well for tomatoes that have reached their full size but are still green. Even if frosts aren’t on the cards, your plants will need maximum warmth in order for their fruits to ripen.
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