A few weeks ago, I was concerned about an impending frosty night and decided to pull up all my tomatoes. There were tons of green ones that hadn't ripened yet. I read through a lot of feedback to look for the easiest way to ripen them inside and came up with this.
I had a bamboo screen, just made of small bamboo stalks woven together into panels and then attached, so it can fold. It was in my garage because I don't currently have a place for it in my house. I took the tomato plants and hung them upside down by sticking the rootball through the top of the screen. This allowed the tomatoes to hang freely down the screen. Some were long enough to reach the floor. I gathered up any that fell and started my tomato basket.
Every couple of days, I go out and harvest any that are starting to turn color. They go in the basket to ripen and then be eaten. I doubt they are as good as if they had been vine ripened in the sun, but they must be better than what you get in the grocery store at this time of year.
My garage is cool, but not freezing, unless it gets much colder outside. I have a small amount of light all the time out there, which I understand to be important for the ripening process. I'm thrilled to have this extended growing time.
By Jess
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
As the season comes to an end, I still have green tomatoes. Can I take them off and let them ripen in the house?
Ripen green tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple or banana to speed the process. But to keep tomatoes fresher longer, keep them sitting in a cool, dry place not in the fridge!
My sister, an avid gardener (with 60 tomato plants this year), picks them all just before the first frost, brings them into the house and spreads them on newsprint laid flat on the basement floor. They'll gradually ripen.
Because of bugs eating our tomatoes, we pick them a little green, then let them ripen on a window sill.
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I read once how you can ripen green tomatoes in the house after the frost has hit, or just before. I've brought in loads of tomatoes, now what do I do?
