Anyone else's tomatoes taking forever to ripen?

ac21686 · August 10, 2021

I'm in western CT and the tomatoes are taking an unusually long time to ripen. We planted about 10 days after Memorial Day weekend because it was a washout, but it seems like that would be accounted for by now. Facebook reminded me that last year on August 9th I had a box of large slicers and beefsteaks ready to sell here at our garden center

They don't seem particularly close to ripening either. Anyone else having the same issue in this area of the country?

KarenO · August 10, 2021

Did you plant the same varieties?
What’s the weather been like
KarenO

PaulF · August 10, 2021

In my garden, according to past ripening dates for varieties that are quite similar to my past tomatoes, we are about two weeks behind in ripening. 70% are repeats or often grown varieties.

Our weather has been warmer and drier than "normal". We have experienced some "ups and downs" in temperatures and rainfall. Either it seems to be cooler than normal or warmer than normal. The plants all have lots of fruit but it is ripening at a slower rate.

Usually the first wave of ripe tomatoes in my garden hits about the last week of July and a second and sustained ripening period starts about now and extends though September. We shall see what this year brings.

ac21686 · August 10, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenO

Did you plant the same varieties?
What’s the weather been like
KarenO

We plant a core group of heirlooms and hybrids, leaving space to try out new stuff and see if anything may replace another variety.

These, off the top of my head, are repeats from last season:

Aunt Ruby German Green
Big Beef
Brandywine OTV
Brandywine Sudduth
Brandywine Yellow - Platfoot
Carbon
German Pink
Mariana's Peace
Primo Red
Red Deuce
Sungold
Stump of the World
Sugar Rush

Hell, I haven't even picked much in the way of Sungolds! I know some of these take longer, but even the boring old hybrid varieties my uncle grows ("some people just want a perfect globe shaped red tomato") aren't ripening. I guess the weather is doing us no favors - seems like the sun never comes out anymore

cloz · August 10, 2021

I’m in Fairfield County too and I would agree that ripening is running later than usual. I’ve had mostly Stupice up till this time. Sungold just starting. Still waiting on Orange Jazz, Carbon, German Johnson,Prue, Sakura F1, Golden Bison, Azoychka, Lime Greene Salad, Legenda Tarasenko, Russian Queen, Big Beef, Black Russian, Nana Gilbertie’sPlum and several others.

Cloz

PhilaGardener · August 11, 2021

A slow and difficult year. My cherries are all bearing heavily and ripening. Larger tomatoes have decent fruit sets but are slow to color up this year.

brownrexx · August 11, 2021

I am glad to see this post because I have also been puzzled by late ripening.

I have picked a decent amount so far but then it stopped. The plants are covered with big greenies with no hint of ripening.

I pretty much grow the same varieties every year, some Heirlooms and some hybrid. All are ripening late.

Sun Sugar cherries are the only ones on schedule. Even the Black Cherries have stopped ripening.

wodehouse · August 11, 2021

An odd year here along the NY-VT border...Black tomatoes...carbon, Japanese Trifele, Cherokee Purple...seem to be on schedule and are bearing well...but red tomatoes, both hybrid and OP, are in many cases not showing any color! Very cool and wet July, but hot and dry in August.

Oliver · August 11, 2021

Cherries productive and ripe, a few bigger ones ripe here and there but most still green.

slugworth · August 11, 2021

4th of july hybrids bought plants I was picking july 6th
bloody butcher in july and a genuwine made it under the wire july 31st
mortgage lifter beginning of august.
I aim for july-early august eating.
Garden peach is taking long to get fuzzy.
Sungold were in salads july.
Southern CT water view the tax man says.
120 plants in the ground initially,good thing.
I lost 1/2 to the jungle weather.

D.J. Wolf · August 11, 2021

I don't know about your weather, but here we've been hit by everything possible that can slow things down. A very warm mid-late April, followed by a cold start to May delayed plantout. Then high 80's and 90's in mid to late May and June with no rain caused a lot of blossom drop. Then extra heavy rainfall in late June and early July seemed to slow growth once again. I'm finally getting ripe bigger tomatoes, but they're still slow. Hell, my porterhouse plants just started setting fruit finally. This has also affected the bell peppers, I'm about 3 weeks behind on them. Just a strange, tough year to get things grown I guess.

Oliver · August 11, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.J. Wolf

I don't know about your weather, but here we've been hit by everything possible that can slow things down. A very warm mid-late April, followed by a cold start to May delayed plantout. Then high 80's and 90's in mid to late May and June with no rain caused a lot of blossom drop. Then extra heavy rainfall in late June and early July seemed to slow growth once again. I'm finally getting ripe bigger tomatoes, but they're still slow. Hell, my porterhouse plants just started setting fruit finally. This has also affected the bell peppers, I'm about 3 weeks behind on them. Just a strange, tough year to get things grown I guess.

Your weather sounds pretty close to what we've gotten up here. Also, I don't know about Illinois but South Dakota has classified as being under drought conditions for almost 2 years now.

D.J. Wolf · August 11, 2021

Hi Oliver,

We aren't in a drought currently, but early this year we were classified as "abnormally dry". All the rain we got end of June and first half or so of July took care of that though I think. It's been dry again though...so I'm not sure where they have us classified now. I know I'm watering a quarter inch a day unless it rains at least a quarter inch

Volvo · August 12, 2021

Yep ,yep

mine did and still taking yonks to ripen but the wait is worth the taste

..

zipcode · August 12, 2021

I find that ripening time isn't that much different even if the weather is bad. I'm talking about the beginning of the season (summer), not about late fall with very cold temps.
Late ripening is simply the cause of late fruit set, always. Usually caused by warm nights and possibly overcast days when the plants start to really grow, and then they become too vegetative, they don't set the first trusses, and suddenly they set a lot and those will obviously ripen very close, so you get these waves of fruit.

August 10, 2021	#1
ac21686 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: CT Posts: 68	Anyone else's tomatoes taking forever to ripen? I'm in western CT and the tomatoes are taking an unusually long time to ripen. We planted about 10 days after Memorial Day weekend because it was a washout, but it seems like that would be accounted for by now. Facebook reminded me that last year on August 9th I had a box of large slicers and beefsteaks ready to sell here at our garden center They don't seem particularly close to ripening either. Anyone else having the same issue in this area of the country?

August 10, 2021	#3
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,284	In my garden, according to past ripening dates for varieties that are quite similar to my past tomatoes, we are about two weeks behind in ripening. 70% are repeats or often grown varieties. Our weather has been warmer and drier than "normal". We have experienced some "ups and downs" in temperatures and rainfall. Either it seems to be cooler than normal or warmer than normal. The plants all have lots of fruit but it is ripening at a slower rate. Usually the first wave of ripe tomatoes in my garden hits about the last week of July and a second and sustained ripening period starts about now and extends though September. We shall see what this year brings. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

August 11, 2021	#11
D.J. Wolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Illinois Posts: 199	I don't know about your weather, but here we've been hit by everything possible that can slow things down. A very warm mid-late April, followed by a cold start to May delayed plantout. Then high 80's and 90's in mid to late May and June with no rain caused a lot of blossom drop. Then extra heavy rainfall in late June and early July seemed to slow growth once again. I'm finally getting ripe bigger tomatoes, but they're still slow. Hell, my porterhouse plants just started setting fruit finally. This has also affected the bell peppers, I'm about 3 weeks behind on them. Just a strange, tough year to get things grown I guess. __________________ Kevin (aka the DJ)

August 11, 2021	#13
D.J. Wolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Illinois Posts: 199	Hi Oliver, We aren't in a drought currently, but early this year we were classified as "abnormally dry". All the rain we got end of June and first half or so of July took care of that though I think. It's been dry again though...so I'm not sure where they have us classified now. I know I'm watering a quarter inch a day unless it rains at least a quarter inch __________________ Kevin (aka the DJ)

August 12, 2021	#14
Volvo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 289	Yep ,yep mine did and still taking yonks to ripen but the wait is worth the taste .. __________________ Good Better Best Never let It rest Until Your Good Is Better And Your Better Best

August 10, 2021	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	Did you plant the same varieties? What’s the weather been like KarenO

August 10, 2021	#5
cloz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Southern Connecticut Posts: 435	I’m in Fairfield County too and I would agree that ripening is running later than usual. I’ve had mostly Stupice up till this time. Sungold just starting. Still waiting on Orange Jazz, Carbon, German Johnson,Prue, Sakura F1, Golden Bison, Azoychka, Lime Greene Salad, Legenda Tarasenko, Russian Queen, Big Beef, Black Russian, Nana Gilbertie’sPlum and several others. Cloz

August 11, 2021	#6
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	A slow and difficult year. My cherries are all bearing heavily and ripening. Larger tomatoes have decent fruit sets but are slow to color up this year.

August 11, 2021	#7
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I am glad to see this post because I have also been puzzled by late ripening. I have picked a decent amount so far but then it stopped. The plants are covered with big greenies with no hint of ripening. I pretty much grow the same varieties every year, some Heirlooms and some hybrid. All are ripening late. Sun Sugar cherries are the only ones on schedule. Even the Black Cherries have stopped ripening.

August 11, 2021	#8
wodehouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: NY/VT border Posts: 12	An odd year here along the NY-VT border...Black tomatoes...carbon, Japanese Trifele, Cherokee Purple...seem to be on schedule and are bearing well...but red tomatoes, both hybrid and OP, are in many cases not showing any color! Very cool and wet July, but hot and dry in August.

August 11, 2021	#9
Oliver Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Monroe, South Dakota Posts: 50	Cherries productive and ripe, a few bigger ones ripe here and there but most still green.

August 11, 2021	#10
slugworth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: connecticut,usa Posts: 1,150	4th of july hybrids bought plants I was picking july 6th bloody butcher in july and a genuwine made it under the wire july 31st mortgage lifter beginning of august. I aim for july-early august eating. Garden peach is taking long to get fuzzy. Sungold were in salads july. Southern CT water view the tax man says. 120 plants in the ground initially,good thing. I lost 1/2 to the jungle weather.

August 12, 2021	#15
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I find that ripening time isn't that much different even if the weather is bad. I'm talking about the beginning of the season (summer), not about late fall with very cold temps. Late ripening is simply the cause of late fruit set, always. Usually caused by warm nights and possibly overcast days when the plants start to really grow, and then they become too vegetative, they don't set the first trusses, and suddenly they set a lot and those will obviously ripen very close, so you get these waves of fruit.