[Deborah1]

Hello. My tomato plants are all outdoors and, miraculously, have managed to stave off the blight despite signs of it on leaves from early on in the season. However, so far I've only eaten 5 or 6 ripe ones. The rest are still green. It's warm and humid here at the moment and rain is forecast for the next few days. Would you risk leaving them on the plants - or would you pick them off to ripen indoors? I'd rather not, as I think they taste better left to ripen on the plant. But if it's a choice between that and blight.....
No frost here usually until the end of October. Any advice/experience welcome. Thanks.

[AussieInFrance]

Hi Deborah

We're in the SW and tomatoes are simply loaded with fruit at the moment too. I notice that some rain is due over the course of the next week or so and given you're location, you'll receive much more than us. Besides all that, i don't intend to pick off any fruit until they're ripen. As you say, it's an improved flavour when vine-ripened.

I assume you have a regular regime with applying Bouille Bordellaise? We have the advantage here in France of being able to still buy it, much to the chagrin of tomato growers in the UK. That will protect your plants during the more humid weather. I'm usually out there at the first sign of the rain disappearing to ensure the spray is re-applied.

Di

[Deborah1]

Thanks for your reply. I'm going to rig up a temporary polythene cover for this weeks rain, and take off the closest to ripening tomatoes, and give another spray of Bordeaux....

Fingers crossed.

[borderer1951]

Hello. My tomato plants are all outdoors and, miraculously, have managed to stave off the blight despite signs of it on leaves from early on in the season. However, so far I've only eaten 5 or 6 ripe ones. The rest are still green. It's warm and humid here at the moment and rain is forecast for the next few days. Would you risk leaving them on the plants - or would you pick them off to ripen indoors? I'd rather not, as I think they taste better left to ripen on the plant. But if it's a choice between that and blight.....
No frost here usually until the end of October. Any advice/experience welcome. Thanks.

We pick them if they're still green, put them in brown paper bags (not too many per bag) and pop a ripe apple in with them.  They turn red (or golden if you grow those varieties as I do) within a few days.

[Deborah1]

Thanks. I rigged up a polythene shelter for starters and picked off some fruits as well and took them indoors and put them in the fruit bowl. I'm finally getting a hand full of ripe tomatoes every couple of days now!

[GrannieAnnie]

Hello. My tomato plants are all outdoors and, miraculously, have managed to stave off the blight despite signs of it on leaves from early on in the season. However, so far I've only eaten 5 or 6 ripe ones. The rest are still green. It's warm and humid here at the moment and rain is forecast for the next few days. Would you risk leaving them on the plants - or would you pick them off to ripen indoors? I'd rather not, as I think they taste better left to ripen on the plant. But if it's a choice between that and blight.....
No frost here usually until the end of October. Any advice/experience welcome. Thanks.

We pick them if they're still green, put them in brown paper bags (not too many per bag) and pop a ripe apple in with them.  They turn red (or golden if you grow those varieties as I do) within a few days.

Putting a banana with them helps too.  It's the ethylene gas that comes off, which is what the big boys use to ripen all their fruits at the same time.

[lettice]

I normally just put mine in the windowsill that are not quite ripe and in 3 days they are all ripened.
The banana trick is a good way for those that are totally green, the fallen off toms. Use baking or greaseproof paper on top of a tub, so you can wrap over it.
Takes about 3 days to ripen them.
I just use a banana skin, not the whole banana and just place it in the middle of the tub.
Here is a pic of what I do, the almost red ones went in on Fri evening. They were all fallen ones and totally green. The two san marzano were totally green yesterday afternoon and are now ripening nicely.

[Deborah1]

Thanks everyone for replying.  Am putting into practice all of your advice and it's working