[Boothy]

What is the best way to get tomatoes that have fallen off the plant to ripen?

[muntjac]

put them in an old egg tray on the window sill or on a shelf in the greenhouse    

[Salkeela]

Also put them beside fruit that is already ripe.

Ripe fruit apparently releases ethylene which helps nearby fruits to ripen.

I'm told parafin heaters also release ethylene and assist ripening in a greenhouse - although I've never tried it.  

(There's a story about green oranges being transported in train carriages heated by parafin heaters - to stop the fruit freezing - and that they were always ripe on arrival.  When the trains were up graded and electric heaters installed, the fruit no longer ripened.  Some investigation then revealed the ethylene factor! Or so the story goes.)

[mushroom]

What is the best way to get tomatoes that have fallen off the plant to ripen?

Place next to a ripe banana, which releases ethylene, a gas that functions also as a plant hormone.

[GrannieAnnie]

Like Munty, I just put mine on the windowsill til they are the colour I like!!!!

[Annie]

At this time of the year on the window cill later I shove them in a draw with some very ripe bananas.

[Smudgeboy]

What is the best way to get tomatoes that have fallen off the plant to ripen?

Place next to a ripe banana, which releases ethylene, a gas that functions also as a plant hormone.

I've done exactly this - the riper the banana the better (but replace it with a fresh one before it goes mildew or anything like this.

It absolutely works.

[loubylou29]

Any ideas on how to ripen the ones on the plant?

I have 6 plants all of different varietys ,heavy with lovely looking fruit, but it is all still very gree, not even a hint of orange let alone red!!!

These were planted on May, in a nice sunny (hahaHA) position, and it's flaming September and I haven't had a thing from it yet!!!!

Do I just have to be more patient?? we will eventually have tonnnes but when will that be??

I am getting fed up buying them I was not planning this at all this year!

[mumsflowerpot]

I've been chopping back tomato plants in the greenhouse this morning, some still have flowers on - will they come to anything now or should I chop them off to give the little green ones a better chance?

[Smudgeboy]

Any ideas on how to ripen the ones on the plant?

I have 6 plants all of different varietys ,heavy with lovely looking fruit, but it is all still very gree, not even a hint of orange let alone red!!!

These were planted on May, in a nice sunny (hahaHA) position, and it's flaming September and I haven't had a thing from it yet!!!!

Do I just have to be more patient?? we will eventually have tonnnes but when will that be??

I am getting fed up buying them I was not planning this at all this year!

If the plants are healthy, leave them on - always better to ripen them on the vine if you can (or so my Dad says!)

I was forced into harvesting mine early because the plants were dying so fast you could almost see it happening - not sure what killed 'em, but I had to dig the lot out and burn them yesterday.

Very sad end to my first ever go at toms.

[muntjac]

i do not cut any side shoots or anything from my toms i let them do thier own thing .flowers will still come if the weather holds ( indian summer) if i need to allow more air through i remove just the lower leaves