My tomatoes are still green as fall approaches — will they ripen on the vine?
Tomatoes that have started to change color will ripen indoors just fine; fully green tomatoes will not ripen after frost — pick them at any color change and bring them in.
Tomatoes ripen through ethylene production, not sunlight. The vine is not necessary for ripening — once a tomato has reached the 'breaker stage' (the point where color has just begun to change at the blossom end, even if the fruit is still mostly green), it will ripen off the vine at room temperature. Windowsill ripening works well. Sunlight on the windowsill is fine but isn't the driver of ripening.
The rule for fall: pick everything that has started to change color before the first killing frost. Lay them in a single layer at room temperature — not in the refrigerator, which stops ripening and ruins texture. Check them every few days. They'll ripen over 1–4 weeks depending on how far along they were when picked.
Fully green tomatoes — those without any color change at all — will not ripen to table quality after the frost-killed plant. They can be used as green tomatoes (fried, pickled, in salsa verde), and some fully green varieties are meant to be eaten that way, but a green beefsteak won't ripen to red off the vine. Knowing which stage each tomato is at when you harvest matters.
One efficient end-of-season move: pull the entire plant by the roots and hang it upside down in a garage or basement before the first frost. Tomatoes will continue ripening on the hanging plant for several weeks, and you can pick them as they color up. The plant doesn't need water once pulled — it has enough stored resources to ripen the fruit already attached.
- Black RotV-shaped yellow lesions at brassica leaf margins with blackened veins inside — a bacterial disease that moves through the vascular system.
- Blossom DropFlowers fall before setting fruit, often during temperature extremes or after weather stress.
- Brown Marmorated Stink BugSunken, corky dimples on fruit and pods caused by a mottled brown shield bug feeding through the skin.
- Cabbage LooperRagged holes in brassica leaves made by a pale green caterpillar that loops its body as it moves.
- Cabbage MaggotBrassica transplants wilting and dying as white maggots tunnel through roots at or below the soil line.
- Why are my tomatoes cracking and splitting?Tomato skin cracks when the fruit expands rapidly after a period of drought — inconsistent watering is almost always the cause, though some varieties are simply crack-prone.
- Squirrels keep taking one bite out of my tomatoes — how do I stop them?Squirrels often take single bites from tomatoes to access water during dry periods — a separate water source can reduce the behavior, but physical exclusion with netting is the most reliable solution.
- How can I extend my growing season in fall?Row cover fabric, cold frames, and switching to cold-hardy crops are the three most reliable tools for extending production 4–6 weeks past your first fall frost.