Gardeners should follow this advice before harvesting tomatoes.
Growing tomatoes might seem straightforward, but these juicy fruits attract a host of hungry pests eager to feast on them. From aphids and caterpillars to whiteflies, small critters can wreak havoc on your tomato plants, munching away at the leaves and the tomatoes themselves.
If you’ve been nurturing tomatoes this spring, chances are you’re seeing some green ones sprouting up, with a few perhaps starting to blush red.
However, waiting for tomatoes to fully ripen on the vine is a gamble, as insects aren’t the only ones with an appetite for them – squirrels, birds, and mice are also notorious for swiping ripe tomatoes.
But fear not, for a gardening guru has shared a savvy tip to safeguard your crop from these pesky invaders. The Epic Gardening TikTok account recently posted a video where their gardening expert divulged a clever trick: harvest your tomatoes before they’ve fully ripened.
The expert recommended harvesting your tomatoes during the “breaker stage.” This is when the fruit has begun to turn from green to red but is not yet fully ripe.
He advised: “Instead of waiting for your tomatoes to go from green to red, harvest when they go from green to halfway red. This is called the breaker stage, and at this point, the flavour development is mostly done. You’ll get it off the plant before birds or bugs can eat it, and it’ll store for a lot longer.”
Tomatoes will still ripen beautifully after being harvested, meaning you can pluck them prematurely and they’ll eventually take on that vibrant hue before you use them in your salads and sandwiches.
The expert also shared a nifty trick for keeping tomatoes fresher for longer: simply store them stem side down!
He elaborated: “When you do store them, place your tomatoes facing down, not face up, because the shoulders of the tomato more evenly distribute the weight and they’ll last even longer.”
Expanding on the advice in the video caption, the guru stated: “Stop waiting for those perfect red beauties on the vine if bugs and birds keep stealing your thunder.
“Pick them at the breaker stage instead. That’s the sweet spot when they’re halfway ripe and just starting to blush. The flavour’s already locked in by then, so you’re not sacrificing taste for strategy.”
“The best part is these half-ripe tomatoes will outlast their fully red cousins on your counter by days, maybe even weeks. Once you bring them inside, pests lose interest, so it’s like calling dibs before the neighbourhood critters can crash your tomato party.”
How to grow tomatoes
Once you’ve picked out the type of tomatoes you want to grow, you need to get your seedlings in the ground in spring after the last expected frost has passed. They need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day, so make sure you have a sunny spot.
Here are some other tips to help make your tomato plants thrive:
- Planting: Plant seedlings deep, burying two-thirds of the stem. This encourages strong root growth. Water well after planting to ensure they have the best start.
- Watering: Keep soil consistently moist, but not soggy. Water at the base of the plant, not the leaves, to prevent disease.
- Fertilising: Use a fertiliser formulated for tomatoes. Fertilise after planting, and then again every 3-4 weeks during the growing season until they’re ready for harvesting.
- Harvesting: Pick tomatoes when they are fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. Harvest regularly to encourage more fruit production.