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How to Ripen Tomatoes Off The Vine

Published on August 9, 2021Last updated October 17, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

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You can ripen tomatoes after picking but it only works if conditions are right. Use these tips to know if there is hope for your tomatoes and how to help them ripen indoors. Fruit maturity, temperature, and timing all play a role.

For more, also see 5 Best Tomato Growing Tips here.

Green, yellow, orange, and red tomatoes with some needing to ripen.

Ripening Green Tomatoes

Three tomatoes on vine each at different stage of ripeness.

There are a few situations where we end up with mature but not yet ripe tomatoes.

Sometimes tomatoes crack open on the vine and we need to pick them a bit early before they become diseased.

Other times the fruits may get knocked off the vine during a storm or a frost is coming and it’s now or never. If we leave them in place, the cold temperatures will destroy them.

While you might just want to make fried green tomatoes with your haul, there is also the option to force any mature fruits to ripen indoors in your kitchen.


Contents

  1. Ripening Green Tomatoes Overview
    1. Do tomatoes ripen off the vine?
    2. What about flavor?
    3. My tomatoes are green inside only. Is this okay?
  2. Which Tomatoes Ripen After Picking?
  3. How to Ripen Tomatoes Off the Vine
  4. Resources

Do tomatoes ripen off the vine?

Yes, they can. And you can help them.

Red tomato

But, it is not going to work for all unripe tomatoes—just those that tick all the boxes (see below).

Lots of people put their unripe tomatoes in a paper bag or box lined with newspaper plus a ripe banana or apple and—poof—a few weeks later they have nice, ripe fruit.

Others do the same and they stay as green as the day they were picked.

Whether it works or not depends on a number of conditions.

If you’ve got the tomatoes now and you’re ready to go, you can jump the instructions here. If it works, it works. You’ve got nothing to lose from trying.

But, if you want to know how and why it works (or not), keep reading.

We’re using the example of green to red, but it’s the same for other final colors (yellow, orange, black, and so on) as well.

What about flavor?

While there is nothing as good as a freshly-picked, sun-ripe tomato, the ones you ripen off the vine will be fine, more like the ones from the grocery store.

My tomatoes are green inside. Is this okay?

Sometimes the fruit will appear ripe on the outside but you cut it open to find it’s green on the inside. This means the fruit is probably not mature. It’s not harmful to eat but neither will taste good. The seeds provide clues about maturity and help determine whether your fruit can be ripened.

What can I make with green tomatoes?

Fried-green tomatoes are the best known traditional use for green tomatoes. Also consider making a green chutney or relish. Both are delicious and this may be easier than trying to ripen the fruit.

Which Tomatoes Ripen After Picking?

There are a couple of factors that determine whether a tomato can ripen after picking and how long it will take.

It’s also important to provide the right ripening conditions so we not only get red tomatoes but tomatoes that taste great.

Factors Affecting Ripening

  1. Type/Size of Tomato
  2. Maturity Level
  3. Ripening Stage
  4. Ethylene
  5. Temperature
  6. Darkness

1 Type/Size of Tomato

  • Large, round tomatoes are good candidates for ripening off the vine.
  • Small (cherry) tomatoes are not. They may not ripen and flavor including sugar levels will decrease.

2 Maturity Level

The tomato has to be mature when picked to have a chance at ripening later.

  • Mature is not the same as ripe.
  • Mature means it has gelatinous (jelly-coated) seeds inside.

Once it has its seeds, the ripening hormones can get to work.

While you can’t ripen a tomato once you have cut it open, you can sacrifice one to better understand what mature fruit looks like inside.

In this next photo, I cut open two tomatoes.

The one marked YES has seeds protected by a gelatinous coating. This jelly-like stuff is a sign of maturity. It’s there to prevent the fully formed seeds from germinating within the fruit.

The green tomato has seeds forming but they do not yet have their jelly coats. That one would not ripen off the vine.

Examples of maturing and immature seeds inside tomato fruits.

3 Ripening Stage

Once a tomato is mature, it goes through a series of ripening stages from green to red.

Tomato ripening stages
Image: California Tomato Commission

This is going to determine how fast the tomato can ripen, with the Green (stage 1) being the slowest and Light Red (stage 5) being the fastest.

I was interested to learn that Green stage 1 tomatoes can take the longest to ripen but also end up with the nicest flavor, color, and texture.

4 Ethylene

Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone that plays a role in seed germination, vegetative growth, flowering, fruit ripening and more.

Because mature green tomatoes (stage 1) produce minimal ethylene, they are candidates for the ‘bag method’.

For that, the tomatoes are placed in a paper bag or other lidded container with another ethylene producing fruit such as bananas or apples to help trigger ripening hormones. I’ve provided complete instructions below.

But, once a tomato has some hint of red (stage 2 up), it’s already producing enough of its own ethylene that the bag method is not needed.

And yes, you can have too much ethylene.

5 Temperature

Tomatoes ripen best with consistent temperatures between 15-20°C (59-68°F) with 20°C being optimum.

When temperatures are below or above this range, lycopene, and carotene (both key to ripening) cannot be produced.

We often think hot summer days are perfect for ripening tomatoes on the vine, but once the heat gets above 25°C (77°F), ethylene production stalls and the fruit struggles.

When trying to ripen off the vine, our instinct is to put the fruit in front of a sunny window, but light is not a ripening factor—temperature is—and this can overheat the fruit.

High humidity can also play a supporting role but does not seem worth recommending here since it’s not really realistic or desirable to crank up our household humidity just to ripen some tomatoes.

6 Darkness

As mentioned, light is not required for ripening off the vine and can inhibit key change agents. You’re better off following the instructions (below) and avoiding direct light.

How to Ripen Tomatoes Off the Vine

Green tomatoes ripening in box with a banana.

1Select Mature Tomatoes

Select mature large, round tomatoes not small, cherry tomatoes. A key sign of maturity is the presence of gel-covered seeds inside. You can’t ripen a tomato once it is cut open, but you might use one to check the seed development.

2Pick From Vine

Cut the tomatoes from the vine (with stems intact to avoid damage if you can- I use these snippers) or take fruit that has recently fallen to ground. There should be no sign of damage or disease.

3Handle With Care

Once vine-ripe, which is stage 2 and up, tomatoes are easily bruised and damaged which can cause rot instead of ripening.

4Prep Immediately

When tomatoes are stored first and then ripened, flavor and color are poor.

5Wash and Dry

Gently wash and thoroughly dry tomatoes.

6Keep Sorted

Sort tomatoes by color/stage. This will make it easier to monitor changes.

7Line Box

Line box with lid with newspaper or other absorbent cloth or paper.

8Keep Apart

Place unripe tomatoes in box. Do not let tomatoes touch. Add a ripe banana or apple if tomatoes are green stage 1.

Take a photo to record appearance and date. Close lid.

9Maintain Temperature

Maintain even temperatures between 59-68°F (15-20°C ), ideally at 68°F (20°C).

10Check Every Other Day

Check tomatoes every other day. Take photos to record progress. Remove any fruit showing sign of rot or mold. Switch out banana or apple as needed.

  • Green tomatoes (stage 1) may take weeks to turn red.
  • A pink tomato (stage 4) may only take days.
Ripening a tomato fruit from green to red.

Resources

Tomato | Genus: Solanum

Red tomatoes ripening on vine.

Tomato Growing Tips
Annual vegetable, truly a berry

• Vines (indeterminates) or bushes (determinates)
• Full sun – at least 6 hours total direct sun per day
• Soil: well-draining and fertile
• Propagation: seed or cuttings
• Self-fertile with help from wind and insects
• DIY tomato cages | Seed Saving | Ripen after picking

Shop Online: Buy tomato seeds at Botanical Interests (US Shipping)
or West Coast Seeds (Canada)

The Best Way to Store Ripe Tomatoes

According to the Florida Tomato Committee:

  1. Never store tomatoes under 13°C / 55°F. This ruins both flavor and firmness.
  2. Tomatoes keep best at 13°C-16°C / 55-60°F and 85-95% relative humidity.
  3. Keep out of direct sunlight.
  4. Store stem-up to prevent bruised shoulders.

Tomatoes From Green to Red

Just like tree leaves, tomatoes start off green due to the chlorophyll. The color changes as the chlorophyll breaks down.

Once tomatoes reach maturity (with gel-coated seeds inside), ethylene gas is produced and lycopene increases.

Lycopene is an antioxidant carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color and has many health benefits for us.

During ripening, the two keys to best flavor- sugars and acidity- also increase, and we end up with delicious, fresh tomatoes.

Epic Tomatoes book cover

Epic Tomatoes
How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time

by Craig LeHoullier

See it on Amazon

Craig LeHoullier provides everything a tomato enthusiast needs to know about growing more than 200 varieties of tomatoes, from planting to cultivating and collecting seeds at the end of the season.

Listen

NEW! Click play to listen:

Subscribe to Podcast

Good luck with your fruit ripening!

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

Green tomatoes ripening in box with a banana.
Print Instructions Pin It
5 from 1 vote

How to Ripen Tomatoes Off the Vine

It is possible to ripen tomatoes off the vine if they have reached the right stage of their development. Use these tips to turn mature green tomatoes red.
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time7 d
Author: Melissa J. Will
Cost: 5.00

Equipment

  • Cardboard box
  • Paper towels
  • Newspaper

Supplies & Materials

  • 5 Unripe but mature tomatoes large not cherry tomatoes

Instructions

  • Select mature large, round tomatoes not small, cherry tomatoes. A key sign of maturity is the presence of gel-covered seeds inside.
    Cut the tomatoes from the vine (with stems intact to avoid damage) or take fruit that has recently fallen to ground. There should be no sign of damage or disease.
    Handle carefully to avoid bruising.
  • Gently wash and thoroughly dry tomatoes.
  • Sort tomatoes by color/stage. This will make it easier to monitor changes.
  • Line box with lid with newspaper or other absorbent cloth or paper.
  • Place unripe tomatoes in box. Do not let tomatoes touch. Add a ripe banana or apple if tomatoes are green stage 1.
  • Take a photo to record appearance and date. Close lid.
  • Maintain even temperatures between 15-20°C (59-68°F), ideally at 20°C.
  • Check tomatoes every other day. Take photos to record progress. Remove any fruit showing sign of rot or mold. Switch out banana or apple as needed.
    Green tomatoes (stage 1) may take weeks to turn red.
    A pink tomato (stage 4) may only take days.
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Ripening a tomato fruit from green to red.
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Comments

  1. Laura says

    July 14, 2022 at 8:56 am

    Hi! Thanks for this great article. I was wondering *why* cherry tomatoes won’t ripen off the vine the way big tomatoes will. I have a lot of cherry tomatoes and I am concerned about birds and squirrels eating them once they become ripe!

    Reply
    • Melissa J. Will says

      July 14, 2022 at 12:57 pm

      Hi Laura, There may be studies somewhere identifying what it is about these specific tomatoes that stops them from ripening after picking. I would guess it’s genetic and hormonal but I’m just guessing. It’s always a challenge to find ways to protect crops from animals! I use homemade wire cages but it’s not perfect.

      Reply
  2. Patty Davenport says

    June 25, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    Thanks so much for all the tips. I learned something new today.

    Reply
  3. Maggie says

    October 21, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    I had 36 tomatoes to ripen, so I found seven clean shoe boxes with covers and made room in my closet, which has a temp between 68 and 72. I lined each box with packing paper and then padded the bottoms with old, dry straw to keep the tomatoes from rolling around. I put about five tomatoes in each box, closed it and stored it in the closet.

    Two of the tomatoes were turning, the rest were pink or light red. After 48 hours, all but two were rotting. About half the rot was starting on the undersides, so I’m guessing the straw was the problem. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Melissa J. Will says

      October 21, 2020 at 7:12 pm

      Hi Maggie,
      It’s very hard to guess from here and often we will never have answers. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

      I’m assuming you read through the article looking for clues.

      Here are just a few thoughts:

      What type of tomato? Not all can be forced to ripen.

      Were they exposed to cold temperatures before picking or did something else actually kill them off before your stored them? This can take time to be apparent.

      Did you check one ahead to see how mature it was inside–was there gel on the seeds? Were they at the right maturity stage?

      Those are just a few things that may have affected them. Sorry it didn’t work out and hope it does next time.

      Reply

Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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