[Norb]

Is it time to admit defeat and harvest my tomatoes as they are at the moment (mostly green)? The forecast here in the north east isn't showing temps above about 13 for the next week and I am not sure if there is any more ripening to be gained by leaving them out. It's my first time growing toms and I have grown about 14 plants mixed between four varieties outdoors - there are a multitude of fruits (prob several kilos of mainly cherry varieties) but sadly we have only had about two punnets of very tasty ripe tomatoes due to the weather not playing ball

Is it time to get out the chutney pot?

[arugula]

If there is decent foliage on the plants, I would leave them for now, the temperatures you quote aren't too cold for them. I have a similar situation here. If you have to harvest you can still get them to ripen on a windowsill or with the help of a banana.

[Kleftiwallah]

I'm constantly removing blighted leaves from my tom' plants and it is getting so that it is the stalks ripening the tomatoes!!  Although I am leaving on the side shoots I would have normally removed earlier in the hope those leaves will be enough to do the job.   But it does look like 'Green Tomato Chutney time'. 

Cheers,    Tony.

[Auntiemogs]

That's what my outdoor ones are like Klefti and for the same reason! Look most odd and the windowsill is full....
The greenhouse ones, however (5ft away), are still like triffids.  Up to 3 bananas now (thanks for the tip DD) and I shall leave them a little longer but  may be giving away chutney for the winter festival myself.....   

[fatcat1955]

Try putting overripe banana's in a polythene bag with the tom's.

[Norb]

Still plenty of healthy foliage(if it doesn't blow away today) so will try leaving them a bit longer...

[compostqueen]

Fried green tomatoes are good!    Mine are still outside and will stay there for a bit longer as I'm not faffing with them in the pouring rain 

I collected plenty of ripe toms from the greenhouse this morning and I shall leave those til the last gasp 

[david64]

I have grew a few tomatoes outdoors in vertical planters. Only had 2-3 toms. of each. Because they are in the planters, I am going to bring them inside to finish ripening on the vine 

Last year I kept my green ones in a large bowl and they did all go red eventually. Most took about three months, which is quite useful to have fresh tomatoes in Dec-Jan.

[lazza]

Same dilemma here. Came home from a couple of days in London to find several tomatoes had burst. Not sure if it was cold weather or torrential rain that's caused it, but it means the rest of the outdoor toms that look like they will ripen off the plant have been picked. Have left a few on each plant which don't look like they are quite far enough on to ripen yet, so will take the risk.

[lazza]

OK, so half the crop picked, and some of it is turning... will pick the rest this weekend, and use the greenest for a jumbo batch of chutney, and keep my fingers crossed for the rest.

[hamstergbert]

I can recommend http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=81364.0 as a good use of green toms!  (Thanks MoS / Shukrah Prakash)

[madcat]

I've cleared my tomatoes off the plants - they are outdoors - as we are now getting close to a frost some nights, even on the back yard.  The big dining table is about to be cleared, covered and the toms spread out to ripen.  This evening's job I expect. I doubt we will have the numbers to use that table until Christmas so the toms can take their time.  It is nice to have your own tomatoes in the winter but I do have to keep an eye on them for trouble as well as for ripe ones for my buttie box!   

[lazza]

Second half of the crop picked this last week, together with the last of the potatoes dug up.

So now it really does look like we will be eating green tomato chutney all year.... 

[madcat]

I doubt we will have the numbers to use that table until so the toms can take their time. 

OOOOps !!  :blink:  Sorry mods ... <takes self off to naughty step ...> 

[shokkyy]

The forecast is predicting 3 degrees for my area tonight, and even in my tunnel that's a bit chancey for the tomatoes so today I picked 6 kilos of green tomatoes and pulled up the plants. In all honesty I don't find the temps inside the tunnel are much higher than outside on a cold night, and when the plants are that big it's kind of hard to wrap them up in fleece very effectively.

I've brought them inside and I'll try to ripen them off, but I do find when they're ripened indoors they often tend to go a bit wrinkly and petrified. The ones I've picked are San Marzano and Alicante, all very big tomatoes, so hopefully they'll at least be okay for passata or sundried tomatoes, fingers crossed.