Many gardeners wait to harvest tomatoes until they are fully red as they believe this will produce the best quality and tasting fruit. However, leaving tomatoes on the vine for too long can actually lead to problems such as pest infestations, diseases, splitting, and a short shelf life.
Gardening experts recommend picking them just before they turn completely red to avoid this. According to Gardening Know How, “Tomatoes are sneaky. We’re used to purchasing vibrant red tomatoes from the grocers, but the fact is that colour is not a good indicator of when to pick tomatoes. If you wait until the fruit is uniformly ripe, it might actually be too late!”
When to pick your tomatoes
The garden expert suggested that tomatoes should be harvested “when the fruit is a mature green, and then allowed to ripen off the vine. This prevents splitting or bruising and allows for a measure of control over the ripening process.”
Tomatoes can ripen off the vine as they produce a gas called ethylene. This gas boosts red and yellow pigments (carotenoids) while reducing green chlorophyll.
Because of this natural process, tomatoes can be harvested before they’re fully ripe and will continue to ripen off the vine. According to Epic Gardening, “Research shows that ripening off the vine extends your harvest and quality without any perceptible taste difference.”
Best time to pick for flavour
However, for optimal flavour, tomatoes should be picked at the breaker stage. This stage occurs when colour appears around the blossom end of the tomato, and the fruit is considered vine-ripe even if some areas are still yellow or green.
At this point, the tomato already contains all the sugars and flavonoids needed for full flavour, so leaving it on the vine longer doesn’t offer any real benefit.
“The colour change at the blossom end of the fruit indicates that ethylene, its natural ripening agent, is being produced,” wrote Gardening Know How.
“Benefits to harvesting at breaker stage are lack of cracking, increased flavour, no sunscald, and no additional insect damage.”
Lack of damage
Pests such as insects, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and rats are drawn to ripe produce. As tomatoes near full ripeness, they become prime targets, so harvesting at the breaker stage is the best way to reduce the risk of pest damage.
Epic Gardening experts revealed: “There is even evidence that the bright redness of ripe fruits attracts more birds to the garden. If you have ever grown strawberries, you may have noticed a similar pattern. Birds’ eyes are trained to distinguish bright red colours amidst a sea of green.”
They continued: “If you have problems with birds or other critters pecking at your ripe tomatoes, earlier harvesting is the answer! Let your precious fruits ripen to their fullest flavour while safely on your countertop.”
