Contrary to what you might have read or heard before, there are a ton of benefits to picking tomatoes early and allowing them to ripen off the vine as opposed to on the vine.
Sure it sounds like an ideal situation to walk out to your garden and pick a bright red, juicy tomato from the vine. However, more often than not, that juicy ripe tomato doesn’t look so hot by the time you harvest it.
Part of the reason is that you aren’t the only one to find that fully ripe tomato tempting! Several different pests and insects are also drawn to the plump, soft tomato as well.
But it’s not only just the appearance of the fruit that can be an issue. The plant itself can start to struggle if there are too many tomatoes left behind to ripen at the same time.
So what’s the best course of action? If you want truly blemish-free fruit, healthy plants, and a continual supply of fruit, then picking tomatoes early is the choice for you!
The Benefits Of Picking Tomatoes Early & When To Do It
Blemish-Free Fruit
Let’s be honest. No one really likes to see bite marks and cracked skins all over their ripe tomatoes. Especially those that you have watched grow from the time they were pollinated until they filled out and turned their bright mature color. Red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, brown – whatever the variety’s color is, insect damage and broken skin aren’t a pretty accessory!
The longer you leave tomatoes to ripen on the vine, the higher the chances are that pests and insects find the fruit first. Tomato hornworms, tomato fruitworms, and other such pests love to dine on those tender, ripe fruit as much as you do. Not to mention bigger pests like raccoons, deer, groundhogs, and more.
Ripening fruit can also get damaged by the sun or by rainwater. When tomatoes are exposed to the hot late summer sun, they can actually end up overripe. This causes the fruit to become soft and mushy.
In addition, excess rain from a late summer storm can swell the flesh of ripening fruit faster than their skins can grow. This often results in tomatoes that have split or cracked skins. It might not be a huge problem visually. However, those cracks can be an open invitation for diseases and pests to take hold.
Healthier Plants – Picking Tomatoes Early
Another reason why you should be picking tomatoes early is for the sake of the plant. Once tomatoes start to blush (i.e., start to turn their mature color), they no longer absorb nutrients or resources from the plant. However, they are still a heavy burden. This is a literal problem when you are talking about large slicing tomato varieties!
Multiple tomatoes ripening at the same time signal to the plant that it needs to slow down the production of new blooms. This issue is known as “Fruit overload.” It can be a devastating problem for indeterminate tomatoes (plants that continue to push out fruit until the first frost). In the end, even though you might have several ripe tomatoes to pick early on, your overall harvest will be greatly reduced.
In addition, plants that have a ton of fruit ripening all at once are more susceptible to damage. This is especially the case with slicing tomato varieties since some of those tomatoes can weigh over 1 pound each!
If your garden is in a location like mine, then there is a high likelihood that you will experience damaging rains and winds from a summer thunderstorm. All the extra weight on the plants will increase the chances of broken stems. And if your tomato supports aren’t secure enough, you might even end up with completely uprooted plants!
Even if the stems don’t end up breaking, the soft ripening fruit can easily become bruised or broken by the storms. So the sooner you can get those tomatoes off the plant, the better!
When Exactly To Pick Tomatoes
Now that you know why you need to be picking your tomatoes early, let’s talk about when to do it. To be honest, there really is no real right or wrong answer here.
Some experts say you need to wait until about a quarter or a third of the tomato has turned color. Others say you can harvest it immediately after showing any signs of color change. I tend to land somewhere in between those two options.
As mentioned above, when tomatoes start to blush or reach the breaking point, the ripening process begins. It’s at this point that the tomato starts to produce ethylene gas.
Many different fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas. It’s what helps produce like bananas and avocados ripen on your countertop. It’s also why you should keep these products away from one another. They might end up speeding up each other’s ripening process a bit too much!
Basically, once the tomato starts to go from bright green to its mature color, the fruit no longer needs the plant in order to ripen. You can then pick it and it will continue to ripen whether it’s on the vine or off.
Where To Store Tomatoes
Another image you’ve likely seen is people storing ripening tomatoes on their windowsills. Unfortunately, that isn’t the best place to leave the fruit.
The harsh sunlight coming through the window can cause uneven ripening as well as damage the delicate skin. Besides, the tomatoes no longer need the sun in order to ripen! Instead, keeping them out of any direct sunlight is the best option
The best way to finish ripening your tomatoes is to place them on a wire rack in your kitchen. This allows air circulation to reach all sides of the tomato at the same time. The result is fruit that ripens quickly and evenly. Typically, the tomatoes I end up picking early will become fully ripened in just three to four days.
Some people build ripening tables or racks, but I just use my baking cooling racks. I have a couple of different types of cooling racks, but these are my favorite styles – Product Link: Ultra Cuisine 100% Stainless Steel Cooling and Baking Rack Set. They can really stand the weight of heavy slicing tomatoes.
Other Storing Tips
On another note, avoid ripening the tomatoes in your refrigerator. The cooler temperatures will put a halt to the ripening process as well as change the flavor and texture of the fruit.
If you are set on enjoying a cold tomato slice for your BLT sandwich (or for adding to my Simple Tomato, Cucumber, And Onion Salad Recipe!), then stick an already-ripe fruit in the fridge for a few hours before slicing.
I really hope you consider picking your tomatoes early and enjoying the best flavor, texture, and color possible by allowing your fruit to ripen OFF the vine!
Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea
*This post may contain affiliate links. These are products I have used personally and highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you purchase items through my links. These links and the ads on this page help to support my family and our semi homestead, so Thank You!
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