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Post by ostara on Feb 11, 2010 15:13:46 GMT -5
I did not know you can ripen them, I threw , I think , 20 kilos away That's so sad  When the fall weather forecast calls for Frost, I bring any good green tomatoes indoors in a cardboard box. Cover them to keep them from light. And check them every day for ripe ones and (hopefully very few) ones that are turning rotten. Other members here might also be able to provide you with a recipe for Green Tomato Relish or Chow. Even Fried Green Tomatoes! I had put hem inside the house but they were all rotten |
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Post by ceara on Feb 11, 2010 21:09:14 GMT -5
Hi and welcome! Nice to meet you. Don't toss your green tomatoes! Every year, our tomatoes barely have one or two ripen on the vine and the rest have to be picked green. We watch the weather closely and choose a dry day to pick them, just before we know it's going to frost heavy. We ripen them indoors, but do not do anything special other than lay them out single layer in whatever kind of container we can find. We use plastic lids that you get from the storage bins and they stay on the floor. Then I check them every day or second day. When I have enough ripe, then I start cooking them into a sauce for storing in jars for the winter. Never had a problem with this method before. Some people use paper grocery sacks. But I find that always makes a mess. Especially if we damaged a tomato as it was being harvested. Then it would go rotten quickly. My plastic bin lid method does take up a lot of room in the house, but we put up with it because we love our tomato sauce so much.  I had put hem inside the house but they were all rotten Be careful when picking. Our crazy system that works, is to yank up the entire tomato plant grasping at soil level. Our soil is very sandy so this is easy for us to do, and we only do about 30 paste tomato bush type. Then, holding the tomato plant upside down letting the upper part of the plant sit on soil level. I take off entire trusses of tomato and never separate the fruit from the vine. But all leaves are removed, leaving the fruit on the vine. This is laid gently on their ripening trays and then taken indoors. Rest of the plant is cut into smaller bits for the compost pile. We had to use a cardboard box last year because we had higher production than usual and I inspected them very often because the box ones would go bad a lot faster than those in single layer. Lost about 10% to rot in the box. Give it a try again this year. |
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Feb 11, 2010 21:43:57 GMT -5
I had put hem inside the house but they were all rotten Did you bring them in AFTER the frost? |
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Post by canadamike on Feb 11, 2010 21:50:59 GMT -5
If the tomatoes are not too big, why don't you water the plant freely the day prior to picking them, and if possible with kelp tea ( would be good in the whole last week btw), then uproot the plant with a ball of soil, bag the root in plastic, then hang the plants upside down.
I used to do this a lot in the past, when I had room to do so. I would even water the root ball with a syringe to give it extra water and kelp.
I ended up eating my maters almost up to december like that. It works especially well with italian tomatoes. Beefsteak are more risky because of their weight. Then tend to fall and explose.
Don't hang them too high, these things fall. Or put straw or else to
soften the landing...
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Post by steveont on Feb 12, 2010 9:04:48 GMT -5
we had a terrible time last year with tomatoes! they were practicaly rotting on the vine there was so much moisture and no sun! (second year in a row!) lost all our Irish tomatoes, hoping to get seeds from kin that we had given seed too!
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Post by ostara on Feb 14, 2010 5:59:34 GMT -5
If the tomatoes are not too big, why don't you water the plant freely the day prior to picking them, and if possible with kelp tea ( would be good in the whole last week btw), then uproot the plant with a ball of soil, bag the root in plastic, then hang the plants upside down. I used to do this a lot in the past, when I had room to do so. I would even water the root ball with a syringe to give it extra water and kelp. I ended up eating my maters almost up to december like that. It works especially well with italian tomatoes. Beefsteak are more risky because of their weight. Then tend to fall and explose. Don't hang them too high, these things fall. Or put straw or else to soften the landing... thanks for this tip, I'll try this one out this year |
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gegedunord
gopher
I like people cracked, because through them have perceived the light
Posts: 26
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Post by gegedunord on Feb 15, 2010 9:32:02 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Feb 15, 2010 18:50:31 GMT -5
Steveont, everybody had a terrible tomato year in eastern Ontario. After the June drought, we got 45 days of cold and rain, so the new late blight mutation that killed the eastern american harvest of tomatoes and potatoes set in with fury.
You are not alone...
Before leaving for France on Sept.10, I had one tomato to eat only, a cherry...
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Post by cortona on Mar 2, 2010 17:48:33 GMT -5
hi ostara, i'm a cacty addicted me too!
i have almost astrophytum and varius ibrid wath is your way to cacty?
i think i can give you(if you like some seeds of tomatoes you can pick and ang in a frost free place to store in good condition until now!
let me know!
Emanuele
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 2, 2010 18:21:14 GMT -5
Eastern Ontario was not alone either! I had one cherry tom in the garden, two in containers and one of Alan's La Mer Noir from a container planting.
I was fighting not only the unseasonal cold and the neverending rains, but a "new" garden in dire need of amendment and a lot of cleaning up after the abuse that the previous owners gave it.
2010 will be better. Think Happy Gardening Thoughts for All!
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kb
gopher
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Post by kb on Jun 14, 2010 23:44:57 GMT -5
Hello Everyone
I'm kb I live in North East Texas,U.S.A. zone 8b. I was researching perennial wheat and came across this site and am excited I did!! I garden but mine is rather late due to a very cold wet spring. Also I work 12 hour nites so its sometimes hard to motivate myself after a busy night. When I am in the garden I am lost to the world,I thoroughly enjoy playing in the dirt. I also have an orchard that has the usual apples,peaches,plums,pears,blackberries and a few heat tolerant raspberries. Also there are several variety of young tress not producing yet but I am anxiously awaiting for them to begin,loquats, jujubes,oriental persimmon, hardy kiwi,a couple of medlars, and an Asian tree whose leaves are suppose to taste of onion provided they survive our very hot and at times humid climate I also had olive trees and mine did not do so well but a friends are growing well in the same area.I have the standard southern fare vegetables in the garden.
There are several milk goats as well as donkeys plus the usual cats and dawgs as we say in East Texas. I am very interested in permaculture/food forest. I also am into wild foods foraging. I look forward to being able to visit with ya'll as well as learning from and sharing with every one. kb
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Post by Penny on Jun 15, 2010 5:29:55 GMT -5
Welcome KB.
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Post by flowerpower on Jun 15, 2010 6:18:19 GMT -5
Welcome to HG.  |
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Post by plantsnobin on Jun 15, 2010 9:27:42 GMT -5
Welcome KB-this place is really slow during the growing season because there are some serious growers/breeders here. I know Alan is keeping busy with planting and taking care of the gazillions of turkeys he is now raising and he is rarely on here anymore, but it will pick up after harvest season.
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Post by johno on Jun 15, 2010 13:14:35 GMT -5
When I am in the garden I am lost to the world,I thoroughly enjoy playing in the dirt. kb I think we can all relate to that! Nice to see interest in food forest, wild foraging, etc. Welcome aboard. |
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