Tomatoes won't ripen? Could be too much sun, heat

It seems counterintuitive; instead of ripening faster as days get hotter, tomatoes seem to slow down.

A lot of Sacramento-area gardeners are experiencing that phenomenon firsthand as they watch their tomatoes very very very slowly change from pinkish to full red.

Farmer Fred Hoffman, lifetime master gardener and award-winning radio host/podcaster, made that point in his weekly newsletter and “Garden Basics” podcast.

“Many area gardeners are wondering about the lack of color of their tomatoes now, in late summer,” Hoffman said. “Blame the triple-digit heat spikes that have occurred coast to coast for the slowdown this summer.”

According to university research, a couple of factors are in play. In late summer, tomato vines may have fewer leaves. Less foliage means less photosynthesis, which means less energy and slower growth for the plant. Without that boost of energy, its green tomatoes take longer to grow to size and ripen.

In addition, red pigments can’t form properly in triple-digit heat. Yellow and orange pigments seem to do OK, which leads to ripe tomatoes with splotches. They’re fine to eat, although not classically perfect.

Another factor: Soil temperature. If tomato roots stay over 80 degrees, fruit ripening is affected, too. (This is a problem in container-grown tomatoes.)

If your tomatoes seem to be taking forever to ripen, the solution is easy: Pick them. Then let them ripen in a dark space indoors (such as in a box on the kitchen counter). Their flavor may not be as intense as if vine-ripened, but they’ll be red and juicy – and finally ready to eat.

“Light conditions have very little to do with ripening," report Cornell University researchers. “Tomatoes do not require light to ripen and in fact, fruit exposed to direct sunlight will heat to levels that inhibit pigment synthesis. If temperatures remain high outdoors, these picked fruit will ripen more quickly, perhaps by as much as five days.”

Hoffman also has great advice this week on worms (or to be more specific, caterpillars) that eat tomatoes, and how to tell the culprits apart.