Green tomatoes can ripen at home in cases where they ripen late and the first frost has occurred outside. In such conditions, it is not recommended to leave the fruits, as there is a high probability that not only the bushes, but also the tomatoes will freeze. There is only one way to save the harvest - to collect unripe tomatoes.
If necessary, green fruits can be used for preservation or ripened at home. The ripening process can be carried out in several ways that do not require much effort.
How long does it take for green tomatoes to ripen?
The ripening process largely depends on the degree of maturity. Naturally, brown tomatoes at home will ripen faster, then white ones will begin to ripen and, last of all, green ones. Also, the ripening time largely depends on the chosen storage method and the conditions where they are located. Ripening time can vary from 7 to 40 days. For example:
- If you choose boxes for storage and send the tomatoes for ripening correctly, the process will take 2 weeks.
- In glass containers, ripening will take 10 days.
- If preference is given to paper bags, then green fruits will be ready for consumption from 2 weeks to 1 month, much depends on the temperature.
- The window sills will turn red in just a week.
- The ripening time for green tomatoes on the shelf can vary from 7 to 10 days.
Thus, if you choose the right ripening method for fruits of different degrees of maturity, you can very quickly achieve the desired result and start eating fresh red tomatoes after frost.
What is tomato ripening, when is it necessary and why is it needed?
Ripening tomatoes is a technique for bringing unripe tomatoes to their ripe state outside the bush (plant).
As a rule, the main reason why tomato fruits have to be ripened at home is that they are not ripened on the bush due to the onset of cool and rainy weather.
By the way! The site has a separate article on how to speed up the ripening of tomato fruits on a bush .
Ripening tomatoes is used to achieve the following goals:
Cool and rainy weather that occurs in late August-September is the most favorable environment for the development of late blight .
Advice! To extend shelf life, tomatoes are stored at low temperatures and in the absence of light.
Interesting! It was found that tomatoes that were picked before turning red contain even more vitamins. Therefore, you don’t have to be afraid to pick the fruits before they ripen on the bush, and not keep the tomatoes in the garden until the last minute, losing both the yield and the vitamins.
Video: three reasons to pick up tomatoes of blanzhe (milk) ripeness for ripening
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Where to put green tomatoes for ripening
Today, there are several time-tested methods for storing green tomatoes for ripening. Before giving preference to any particular method, it is necessary to take into account that the temperature in the room must not be lower than +15°C, the permissible humidity level is 80%. It is important to understand that the higher the temperature, the faster the fruits will ripen and be ready for consumption.
Attention! If you expose green tomatoes to the sun, their appearance will deteriorate.
Conditions necessary for long-term storage and ripening of green tomatoes
The harvested crop must be stored in the optimal mode for its ripening. Of fundamental importance are:
- ventilation – in dry air, diseases are more likely to develop, and the taste of tomatoes deteriorates; it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room;
- temperature - at +8-12°C, reddening of tomatoes will occur moderately, and at +20-28°C, in a matter of days all copies will turn red;
- humidity – for early ripening the best indicator is 80%;
- lighting - in bright sun the redness will accelerate, and in the dark it will slow down.
The easiest way to achieve the optimal combination of all factors is on the windowsill of a south-facing window, which is why green tomatoes most often are placed there.
How to store green tomatoes so they turn red
It is necessary to store green tomatoes so that they turn red at home at a temperature of +8°C to +15°C. Under such conditions, the ripening process will be carried out gradually. If you increase the temperature to +18°C - +21°C, then ripening will proceed faster, but there is a possibility that the quality will suffer.
Before storing tomatoes, you should carefully sort them. For example, brown fruits will ripen faster, then white tomatoes will begin to ripen, but green ones will last the longest. Leaves and stems are first removed. If you cover the tomatoes with a woolen cloth, they will ripen much faster.
Important! If exposed to direct sunlight, there is a chance that the fruit will deteriorate.
On shelves
If you have a cellar or pantry, you can send the tomatoes to the shelves until they are fully ripened. If this storage method is chosen, the tomatoes are stacked in several layers, with the stalks facing up. Optimal conditions are observed in a dry, well-ventilated area.
The ripening process can be significantly accelerated if you add several ripe apples or cover each layer with hay. It usually takes 7 to 10 days until the fruit turns red.
Comment! If the temperature is above +28°C, the fruits will lose their elasticity and taste.
In boxes
Ripening green tomatoes at home is carried out in plastic, wooden or cardboard boxes. The first step is to lay paper on the bottom, after which you can lay out the tomatoes in one layer, and cover them with paper on top. Some housewives cover the top with straw, sawdust, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane balls.
After the first layer is closed, lay out the next one and continue as long as the height of the box allows. The last row is usually carefully covered with paper. Literally after 2 weeks the fruits are ready to eat.
Attention! For each row, the stalks should point in different directions.
In fabric bags
Most storage methods are known to many housewives; they have already been time-tested and have an explanation. There is one method that experienced gardeners use, but even scientists cannot explain this phenomenon. Tomatoes ripen much faster if they are placed in red fabric bags. This method has been tested and confirmed many times. Despite this, a theoretical explanation for this phenomenon has not yet been found.
In glass jars
If there are not many tomatoes and they are small in size, then you can use glass jars to store them. Place tomatoes in a container and add a banana or other fruit that releases ethylene. After this, the jar must be tightly closed and placed in a dark, ventilated place. Redness usually takes up to 10 days.
Advice! It is necessary to regularly check the condition of the added fruit and replace it if necessary.
In packages
Another great place to ripen is in paper bags. The storage temperature in this case can be room temperature. It is recommended that each fruit, before being sent for ripening, be treated with alcohol, and then wrapped in a napkin, which is pre-moistened with alcohol. This manipulation helps prevent the process of decay in the early stages.
If the temperature in the room where the tomatoes are stored is from +18°C to +21°C, then after 2 weeks the fruits will ripen completely; if from +13°C to +16°C, then the ripening process will take at least a month.
On the windowsill
The most common place for ripening is the windowsill, which receives direct sunlight. Spread paper or cloth on the windowsill and lay out the tomatoes in one layer. Since the ripening process using this method is carried out quite quickly, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the fruit. If exposed to sunlight, the attractive appearance will be lost, the vegetables will become wrinkled and, most importantly, lose their taste. 1 week is enough for full ripening.
Which picked tomato varieties are suitable for ripening?
The most common mistake made is to collect tomatoes for storage without knowing the characteristics of the variety. Many varieties picked green lose their shape and taste after ripening. Instead of tomatoes filled with juice and color, you get something wrinkled and tasteless.
Varieties suitable for ripening at home:
- "De Barao";
- "Maryushka";
- "Long Keeper";
- "Giraffe";
- "Dedication";
- "Rio Grand";
- "Bull's Heart";
- "Masterpiece";
- varieties of the cherry group.
Did you know? Cherry tomatoes are the merit of breeders from Israel: scientists sought to develop a variety that is resistant to drought and elevated temperatures.
How to speed up the ripening of green tomatoes at home
If necessary, the ripening of picked green tomatoes can be accelerated, but this will require the creation of appropriate conditions. If the tomatoes are of blanzhe ripeness, they can ripen quickly in a warm place. That is why the best option is ripening on the windowsill.
Many people know that the ripening process goes much faster with ethylene, which vegetables and fruits can release. You can increase the concentration of ethylene in several ways:
- add a few red tomatoes;
- You can also increase ripening by adding a ripe banana or red apple;
- Some housewives inject about 0.5 ml of vodka into each fruit; this must be done into the stalk.
Some experienced gardeners claim that tomatoes will ripen faster at home if they are covered with a red cloth. It often happens that the ripening process is not accelerated, but rather slowed down, resulting in an increase in the period of consumption.
Important! It is not recommended to send tomatoes of different ripeness for ripening. They must first be sorted and suitable storage conditions selected.
When to pick tomatoes in a greenhouse for ripening
All tomatoes grown in greenhouses are recommended to be picked from the bush slightly unripe (light brown). This will allow the remaining green tomatoes to ripen faster.
The exact time when you need to pick tomatoes for ripening depends on the period of planting the seedlings and the variety of vegetable. As a rule, the first harvest of greenhouse tomatoes is harvested in early June, and the fruits of late-ripening varieties are removed from the bush at the end of September. But you need to take weather conditions into account.
In greenhouses, more finicky tomatoes that are afraid of the cold are most often grown. Therefore, as soon as the temperature in the protected ground is below 9°C, tomatoes are ripened at home.
If it gets cold in the greenhouse in the fall, harvest the entire tomato crop.
Useful tips
Inexperienced gardeners often make mistakes that lead to disastrous results.
We bring to your attention useful recommendations from experienced agronomists:
- To make tomatoes last longer , apply a thin layer of wax to the surface of the tomato skin.
- clean the fruits from possible phytophthora spores on the peel by immersing the tomatoes in hot water at a temperature of +60 °C for 3 minutes. After this, you need to dry and wipe the fruits with a dry cloth.
- Place no more than 2-3 layers in a box: the more layers, the more difficult it is to inspect them, the higher the risk of infection of all specimens from one fruit.
- When storing in several layers, correct laying is important: the stalk of each layer faces in different directions. This will reduce the risk of damage to the skin of the adjacent layer by the sharp residue of the petiole.
- to view the fruits once every 3-4 days.
- You can speed up ripening with an alcohol injection into the stalk area. Using a regular syringe, inject 0.2 ml of vodka into each tomato.
The advantage of storing unripe fruits is that by increasing or shortening their ripening period, you can get a fresh and tasty tomato by the desired date. Following the basic rules and knowing the intricacies of the process will allow you to enjoy your favorite vegetable all winter.
Conditions and terms of storage of tomatoes for ripening
The main condition for ripening tomatoes is the correct temperature. The warmer the room, the faster the tomatoes will ripen. But the temperature in the room should not be allowed to be too high - small tomatoes will quickly wither before they have time to ripen, and large ones will turn red but remain tasteless.
In some cases, summer residents need to allow picked tomatoes to ripen as long as possible, until the end of autumn. To do this, the crop is left in a dry and cool room.
Conditions for proper ripening of tomatoes:
| Conditions | Peculiarities |
| Air temperature | From +15°С to +25°С |
| Lighting | Bright for fast ripening, partial shade for slow ripening |
| Air humidity | 70-80% |
| Ventilation | The room must be regularly ventilated |
Tomatoes can be ripened both in bright light and in the dark, but in the first case the process will develop much faster. You should not leave fruits in direct sunlight for a long time, as they quickly overheat, soften, lose their elasticity and begin to rot.
Before storing tomatoes for ripening, they need to be properly prepared. First of all, sort the crop by degree of maturity and size, immediately discard all fruits with traces of disease and damage.
Only completely healthy tomatoes are used for ripening. They should be free of rotten and dark spots, traces of late blight and damage by insect pests.
After this, clean healthy tomatoes from soil particles with a soft cloth and send them for further ripening. If the tomatoes were picked in rainy weather, rinse them and dry them thoroughly. They can be transferred indoors for further ripening only dry.
The ripening time of tomatoes depends on the method used. For traditional aging indoors, it will take 15-20 days, for layer-by-layer aging – up to 40 days. Blazing tomatoes ripen faster than others; this will take no more than 5-8 days.
Where and how to ripen tomatoes correctly
There are several ways to ripen tomatoes at home. They can be ripened in a warm and dry room, on bushes, or in layers. All methods of artificial ripening of tomatoes are easy and simple, so even a novice vegetable grower can use them.
Classic ripening
The classic way to ripen tomatoes is in a warm and well-ventilated area. Place the sorted tomatoes on a flat surface, on shelves or tables lined with clean paper or newspapers. The layer of fruit should be uniform, no higher than 15-20 cm in height. You should not place tomatoes on the windowsill, as this will expose them to direct sunlight.
For classic ripening, tomatoes require an air temperature in the range of +20-25°C, good, bright lighting, good ventilation and low air humidity. In such conditions, after 15-20 days the tomatoes will be completely ripe.
Every 4-5 days you need to carefully inspect the tomatoes and turn them over to the other side - this way the color of the fruit will be uniform. Do not forget to remove ripe fruits, as well as discard those that show signs of damage or late blight.
Layer ripening
Layer-by-layer ripening is excellent if the harvest is very rich, but there is little space for its ripening. For layer-by-layer ripening of tomatoes, you can use cardboard or wooden boxes, large pans or baskets. Place several layers of newspaper or thick paper on the bottom of the containers.
Place the green fruits in the selected container in layers, sprinkling each of them with sawdust or laying them out with sheets of paper. In this way, fill the container to the very top.
Cover the box with a cloth or cover it with a lid - but not too tightly, air should flow to the tomatoes. The air temperature for rapid ripening of tomatoes is no higher than +15°C. Layer-by-layer ripening of the harvested crop will take at least 30 days.
Ripening on the bushes
To ripen tomatoes on bushes, dig up the plants along with the root system and carefully shake off soil particles. Tie a thread or string to the roots and hang the tomato plant in a warm and well-ventilated area.
When hanging bushes, make sure that the tomato bushes do not touch each other, otherwise oxygen access to the roots will deteriorate. When the bushes are suspended in this way, all the nutritional elements from the roots, leaves and stems are directed to the fruits, due to which they quickly ripen and become large.
Ripening "in a stack"
Among gardeners, the “stacked” method of ripening tomatoes is very popular. To do this, cut the tomato bushes at the surface of the soil and stack them, without removing the fruits, in a stack no less than 45-55 cm high.
The tops of tomato bushes should be directed towards the center of the stack. Leave the tomatoes in a warm and dry room or outside, under a canopy - but in this case it is advisable to cover them with spunbond or other non-woven material. If this is not available, you can use straw.
You can ripen tomatoes on the bushes in another way - dig up the plants along with the roots and place them in wooden or cardboard boxes without removing lumps of soil from them. Leave the tomatoes to ripen in the greenhouse or take them out onto the veranda.
If it's cool in the greenhouse or on the veranda, cover the tomato bushes with a layer of straw. Every 5-6 days, water each bush at the root, picking off the already reddened fruits.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Is it possible to ripen frozen fruits?
If the summer resident did not have time to collect the tomatoes and they get frozen, they are quickly damaged and are not suitable for storage. Therefore, it is necessary to try to pick vegetables in a timely manner before the first night frosts.
Is it possible to store tomatoes in paper boxes?
Wooden or plastic boxes are used to store tomatoes. Paper products become wet and damaged. This is especially suitable for cases where tomatoes are stored in humid conditions.
How to speed up the ripening of tomatoes on hanging bushes?
For such cases, you need to dig up the tops along with a lump of soil. The plant will receive nutrients and saturate the fruits with vitamins.
How to slow down the ripening process
In some cases, a summer resident needs to stop the ripening process of tomatoes - for example, when collecting too many fruits. By following a few simple rules, you can preserve tomatoes and postpone their ripening until the first autumn cold.
- Only green tomatoes are suitable for slow ripening;
- the air temperature in the room where tomatoes are ripening should not be higher than +12°C;
- the best option for long-term ripening of tomatoes is a cool cellar or basement with low air humidity;
- boxes of tomatoes should be kept away from potatoes, bananas and apples;
- Instead of boxes, you can ripen tomatoes in plastic bags, hanging them from the ceiling or supports - but the top part of the bag does not need to be closed so that there is normal air circulation.
From time to time, inspect all the fruits and remove the reddened ones from the total mass, as they will speed up the ripening of the remaining tomatoes.
The slow ripening method has one drawback - a large number of rotten fruits, which is much more than with normal ripening of tomatoes.
In regions with short summers and cold climates, vegetable growers often have to resort to various methods of ripening green tomatoes at home, because the fruits simply do not have time to fully ripen in the garden. Various methods are used for this - they can be left to ripen in a warm room, laid out in layers, ripened on a bush or in stacks. Using simple and effective options, you can get large, red and tasty fruits that will delight you with a rich taste right up to the winter frosts.
