Tomato ripening off the plant

What are everyone's thoughts on harvesting outdoor tomatoes before they have fully ripened?

I have a LOT of green tomatoes but with the weather as bad as it's been, they have been slow to ripen, some of them have been fully formed/sized for over a month or two but showing no signs of ripening (they are in full sun position, but the weather hasn't been great)

To give the green ones a chance, should I harvest the ones that are starting to go red to finish on a windowsill indoors? Has anyone found it reduces their quality if ripened off the main plant?

Any thoughts at all are welcome, thanks on advance!

 

If you pick them after they have started to blush, then they will ripen and be just as good. Some people say better! I don't know if picking them will be any help to the green ones though ...

One piece of advice I read was even if you pick them fully ripe, don't eat immediately but leave in a warm place for a few days and they will improve. I keep mine in my porch which gets a lot of sun.

 

A bit early to be doing this yet but at the end of season, to get those last green ones to ripen I used to cut the plant off at soil level and hang the whole thing up, without leaves, in a dark shed.
Worked for me well into November.

 

We often pick all the final ones green and ripen them indoors, but it’s too early yet. I usually do that well into October. In my experience, they will ripen from green if they are shiney when picked although they may take a while. If they are matt green they will never ripen so I just compost those ones.

 

Yes, the Whistle Stop Cafe is still open for business in Juliette, Georgia...

 

Fully agree. I have done this for years.

 

I usually have to bring some into the house to finish ripening, but that's normal for here. As long as they're starting to 'turn' they'll carry on doing that.
I've just had a look at the single outside one I have, as it was a spare and there's no room in the wee gr'house for it. I might have to chop off several trusses as they'll never ripen now. It's in a large pot, so in theory I could bring it inside, but it could be tricky to find adequate room for the container.

I've never tried that method @pete , but my sheds have always been too damp, in every garden I've had. Perhaps my recent rebuild of the one I have here will help, so I might give that a try with that single plant instead!

 

It probably needs a reasonable air flow otherwise you could end up with botrytis.
It just about keeping them dry and leaving some sap in the stems .

 

Thanks @pete. I might try that. The shed is bone dry now, even after the amount of wet stuff we've had, and as long as it doesn't then get too cold as well as wet, they might be ok in there.

 

I have just picked my first ripe salad tomato, Cocktail Crush. Yeah!
I am steadily removing blighted leaves and stems from the plants. I think I will be ripening off the beefsteaks indoors eventually.