When to Pick Fruit

[nniemiec]

Some intel from the University of IL. specific to our climate zone:

Harvest the fruits when they are pink except during periods when the daily mean temperature is above 70° F. At such high temperatures pick the fruits just as they are turning color and keep them at 68° F. for further coloring. These fruits will be firmer and have better flavor than those ripened on the vine when temperatures are high. Fruits exposed to direct sunlight will reach a temperature 20 degrees higher than that of shaded fruits.

I never considered picking toms before they were red --- what are your thoughts based on where you live?

[Gardeneer]

Check this thread with recent discussions about when to pick toamatoes.

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=42329

[joseph]

I pick tomatoes as soon as they show any color at all. And since I grow so many orange and yellow tomatoes, it doesn't do any good for me to wait to pick them until they turn red...

[NarnianGarden]

^ Haha.
I am learning to pick them early, but it takes patience to wait until they're fully colored until taking a bite..
Plenty of birds of prey around my mom's cherry tomatoes, we are picking them as soon as they turn color to get some safely indoors. (at night they're covered)

[SharonRossy]

I'm picking them when they are at that "mature" green colour because the squirrels have begun decimated my beefsteak tomatoes. I just hope they will ripen. I can't even wait till they break colour on the blossom end. This has been extremely frustrating.

[Cole_Robbie]

Good job, U of I. Now let's test the 20,000+ other varieties of tomatoes to see if the results are the same

Everyone I know who sells tomatoes will pick them at first blush. Whatever very slight, perhaps unnoticeable improvement in flavor comes from leaving them until full color on the vine will be outweighed by the risk of bug damage and weather-related cracking that could occur during that time.

[NarnianGarden]

Experiment of the day: there were two equally-sized blushing slicers in the same truss, so I picked one of them and brought it indoors, while the other was left hanging on...
We'll see in five days (?), how the taste was affected, or not, by sunshine and showers of rain..

[Ed of Somis]

This subject has been debated many times before...without concrete evidence favoring either method. The fact is: many folks feel they must harvest before vine ripe because of weather or critters. That does not really speak to which is the best way to obtain maximum flavor. I am totally convinced of one fact, however. Taste will not improve when the fruit is on your counter. Once picked, tomatoes begin the degradation/decomposition process. Perhaps the difference between vine ripened and blushed-picked fruit is not really distinguishable. Do your own tests...as someone above is doing.

[Hellmanns]

I've done many tests over the years..vine ripe is best, and the enhanced flavor is very noticeable to me, and my customers. I will not ever under any circumstances pick a blushing fruit.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

This subject has been debated many times before...without concrete evidence favoring either method. The fact is: many folks feel they must harvest before vine ripe because of weather or critters. That does not really speak to which is the best way to obtain maximum flavor. I am totally convinced of one fact, however. Taste will not improve when the fruit is on your counter. Once picked, tomatoes begin the degradation/decomposition process. Perhaps the difference between vine ripened and blushed-picked fruit is not really distinguishable. Do your own tests...as someone above is doing.

Ed, I have no proof that either is the same or not.
What you refer to degradation, I call it ripening and bio chemical changes within the fruit. It will take place even when the fruit is on the vine.

It has been said that once a tomato reaches its mature size and state, its pipeline is sealed and won't receive anything from the mother plant. This can be evidenced from a woody stem. The same thing happens with melons, pear apple and host of other fruits. So then the question is what is the advantage of having the tomato on the vine ?

[NarnianGarden]

One reason why I would pick not only blushing, but 'mature green' or even 'unripe green' is signs of BER. I had to pluck several last week from my Esmeralda Golosina, the leathering process has not gone too far and the deterioration was not too bad, but had they been allowed to hang on in the vine, nothing would have stopped that rottening.
Now I have two (one already eaten) fruits with not too much damage and continued signs of ripening. Being cut off the vine stopped BER advancement and gave me a chance to have a bite.