October 10, 2024, 11:10 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Summer is slowly making way for fall. There are fewer hours of sunshine, and temperatures are dropping. If you’re still waiting for vegetables such as tomatoes to ripen, you might lose out. Or not? myHOMEBOOK editor Franka Kruse-Gering explains why tomatoes may still be green on the vine and what you can do about it.
The tomato plant stands proudly in the garden bed, adorned with several clusters of fruit – yet all remain stubbornly green. These should not be eaten as they contain poisonous solanine. There may be several reasons for the tomatoes on the plant not turning red.
Planted too late
If you planted your tomatoes at the last minute, you might find yourself at a disadvantage. Tomatoes need time to turn red. If you plant them too late, the plants won’t have the valuable time they need to ripen in peace before it gets too cold and dark.
But nothing is lost yet! There is still a chance of red tomatoes until the frost. Once the tomatoes are green, they typically only need a few more days to develop their ripe color.
Watered too much
It’s well-known that tomatoes require water to grow. It may sound paradoxical, but if you water your tomatoes too regularly, the red coloring can be delayed. This is because the water signals to the plant that it needs to grow, and you need to provide it with enough liquid to do so.
However, if you reduce watering, you give the plant the information that it has grown enough. At this point, it stops, and the fruit is given the opportunity to turn red. So if the tomatoes are not yet red, although they should be, it is usually enough to stop watering every day and water every second or third day.
Seeds for the next gardening season Easily propagate your own tomatoes
Support fruit formation Prune tomato plants correctly for a bountiful harvest
Tips for hobby gardeners Planting and care tips for radishes in the garden
Tomatoes need nutrients; otherwise, they won’t turn red
Tomatoes are considered heavy feeders, meaning they require an abundance of nutrients. Giving them too few can stunt their growth. Not only do the plants become less large and strong, but they also lack the strength to form healthy fruit and ripen it.