Hi,

I grew tomatoes for the first time this year (I'm a new gardener). I had a great yield but what I noticed is that in the last 2 weeks, their growth rate really toned down. Is this normal?

I live about 40 miles from Chicago and the weather did change substantially from hot and muggy in the 80's to much cooler and in the 60's/70's, but the first frost isn't until October 29th -- almost 6 weeks away!

It's like Mother Nature just turned itself off...

So, I'm a little confused. Will they keep growing or should I just take what's on the plants (there's a lot -- they're all green though) and let them ripen OFF the vine, or should I let them be?

And are tomatoes done or will they still grow until the first frost date? I'm worried that if they aren't done and I pull them up from the ground when they could have had a few weeks more time to grow, I might have killed an innocent plant that would have otherwise still produced.

I'm asking because I also am wondering if I pull them out and start growing garlic in it's place. I won't do this if the tomatoes still want more time.

Until it freezes leave them.
They will slowly ripen.

Season is over.

I leave them until the plants die or the tomatoes start getting mealy. Now that its a little cooler, mine are getting their second wind.

Your tomatoes still have plenty of time to ripen and it may even warm up again.

I'm near Omaha Nebraska and we recently had a similar weather change. My tomatoes also slowed down. But they're still producing. I'll probably pull them in another week or too but that's partially because I'm getting tired of tomatoes. I've processed over 250 already, have 2 cookie sheets of tomatoes ripening on the counter, some in the fridge, and more on the vine. If you want more tomatos, let them be. If you're tired of them, pull them.

Mine are prospering in cooler weather. A friend pulls her's and hangs them in her garage and some ripen.

Thanks everyone. Do they ripen bitter off the vine when the season comes to an end?

If they are at least 30% pink (more or less) they will ripen fully off the vine indoors. No special treatment, just set them on the kitchen counter.

Better on the vine if you want them sweeter.

Hang them UPSIDE Down in the garage when you do pull them, have seen many seasons throw sleet across the I57 in mid Sept from Effingham on up ...guess that was mostly back in 1990 thru 2015 tho... tomatoes ripen by temps mostly...how we got them across the USA from Cali to Ny in perfect condition. We controlled the temp and controlled the ripening. You can't just plant the garlic anyway up in under the tomatoes? Alliums like more Nitrogen tho than tomatoes need.

Since I don't eat raw tomatoes (mine are all for making sauce), I can't comment on flavor but all my tomatos have been ripening on the counter all summer. I pick when they have a tiny bit of red (much less than the suggested 30%). Everyone I've been giving tomatoes to this yeast says they are the best tomatoes ever so at least my variety (mostly black krim) must ripen well on the counter.

I have tomatoes on myplant but also lots of new flowers. Should I prune off the flowers?

I think commercial tomatoes you see in grocery stores are picked green. So, tomatoes must ripen off the vine just fine.

One year we were going to have an unexpected early freeze, so I picked all the green tomatoes , wrapped them individually in newspaper, and placed them in cardboard boxes. They did ripen slowly. Not as good as one the vine ripened, but still better than the grocery store tomatoes.

Hiyamakki said:I have tomatoes on myplant but also lots of new flowers. Should I prune off the flowers?

I wouldn't bother to prune off the flowers.

ale4529 said:I think commercial tomatoes you see in grocery stores are picked green. So, tomatoes must ripen off the vine just fine.

Considering how tomatoes are grown, picked and stored commercially, its amazing anyone wants to buy them.

Considering how tomatoes are grown, picked and stored commercially, its amazing anyone wants to buy them.

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I didn't say they were delicious. I just said they ripen

The ones on my vines boiled in July- no longer good tasting. Tomato blooms won't set a fruit if the temp is too cold, so the bloom isn't a worry now. We can buy vine ripened tomatoes in our groceries here in the south and they have the best of the flavors in the store, other than that, I am turning them into sauces or other things that get them spiced up anyway. Where is Bishop Sutton? Australia maybe???? Hello everyone.

Have never bought a tomato in any store as good as the heirlooms I grow. Lived in the Chicago area most of my life, and never stopped a season until the night a hard freeze killed everything, usually in mid to late Oct. That night I pick all the green tomatoes, and then ripen them on a trays in the kitchen over the next few months. If you do, you'll have fresh tomatoes until Christmas, & often beyond.

Hi everyone. So, I left the tomatoes on the vine until now, late October, the first frost.

Now that the leaves are starting to fall and temperatures at night are as low as 35/36 with the occasional 75 degree day, is it a good time to say that's the season and call it a day?

There's still a lot of tomatoes on but they've definitely slowed in ripening speed. I have lots of cherry tomatoes on the vine that sometimes ripen — usually I have to bring them inside to 'finish' — but none of the bigger tomatoes really are ripening significantly.

They do if I bring them inside though.

Should I just call it a day, and bring them all in my house and let them ripen with my house temp?

I would go ahead and bring them inside to further ripen. If you get a really cold night, say around 32 or below, you will lose them. We had an early hard frost last year here that took everyone by surprise, it even froze roses in both the bud and bloom stage. Better to be safe.