Answering Your Vine Ripened Tomato Harvest Questions

“Vine Ripened”

is the term used for a fruit that is allowed to stay on the vine until it is fully ripe. This is how most gardeners prefer to harvest their tomatoes whenever possible. Tomatoes ripen from the inside out under warm conditions, ideally between 65-75oF. It usually takes a tomato 6-8 weeks from pollination until it’s ready to be picked!

Let’s chat about some common questions that new gardeners have when it comes to harvesting their beautiful bounty of vine-ripened tomatoes!

When do I start picking my tomatoes?

Every variety of tomato will require a different number of days to ripen its fruits. One big consideration is whether your tomato plant is indeterminate or determinant. This is really the key to knowing how long your harvest period will be!

Determinate tomato 

• Varieties will set one crop of fruit that will all ripen around the same time period, usually late August into September. The harvest period is usually short but produces a lot of tomatoes! Make sure you are ready to harvest and don’t miss the harvest window of usually 2-3 weeks! Roma tomatoes are a popular determinant variety.
  

Indeterminate tomato 

• Plants will continue to set and ripen fruit throughout the growing season until killed by frost. This means that you will have a steady supply of tomatoes throughout the growing season, but you may not have an abundance of tomatoes at any one time. Sungold cherry tomatoes are a popular indeterminate variety.

How long does it take for my tomatoes to ripen?

• The other primary thing that determines when we can harvest our tomatoes is the tomato variety. Most tomatoes take anywhere from 60-100 days to produce harvest-ready fruit, depending on the variety. We generally categorize tomatoes into three groups based on how long they take to produce their fruit:
• Early-season tomatoes are those that can produce ripe tomatoes in about 50-60 days. These are usually indeterminate cherry tomato varieties like the ‘Early Girl’ and the ‘Super Sweet 100’ varieties.
• Mid-season tomatoes usually take about 60-80 days. Mid-season tomatoes can be determinate or indeterminate varieties. ‘Beefsteak’ tomatoes are a well-known mid-season tomato that takes about 75 days to mature. 
• Late-season tomatoes require 80+ days to produce ripe tomatoes. Some varieties can even take more than 100 days! A lot of large and heirloom tomatoes, like ‘Brandywine’ and ‘Cherokee Purple’, are late-season tomatoes. 

How do I know if my tomatoes are ready to be picked?

Your tomatoes are ready to be picked when…

• The tomato has changed color and developed an overall consistent color. Most tomatoes are red, but many are yellow, orange, pink, or even dark plum-colored depending on the variety! Some are even striped!
• Mature tomatoes will be firm, but they should give a bit when you squeeze them between your fingers. Over-mature tomatoes will become very soft and underripe tomatoes will be firm with very little give when squeezed.

What’s the best way to pick my vine-ripened tomatoes?

To pick your vine-ripened tomatoes, grasp them just above the little green “cap” leaves where the stem meets the tomatoes. Twist and apply light pressure until the tomato pops off the stem. You can also use trimmers to cut them at the stem. Keeping the little green “top” on the tomato will help prevent any openings that could expose the fruit to air and accelerate decomposition and rot. 

And, don’t forget gloves! Tomato plants have tiny bristle hairs which can irritate some people’s skin. Garden gloves and long sleeves are an ideal way to avoid irritation if you are sensitive to tomato plants.