Harvesting tomatoes at first blush (or close to it)

[karstopography]

“Coyote”, the blond currant or tiny cherry type tomato, should be picked moments before eating. Otherwise, whatever desirable flavors Coyote possesses will be lost or transformed into undesirable flavors. The hotter the weather, the better coyote gets.

I’ve picked coyote a day early and let it ripen on the counter at a climate controlled room temperature, but all the flavors that would be there if left on the vine disappear inside. What’s left is insipid yuck.

[bower]

I have to agree with GoDawgs that critter pressures are different every year. Just when you think you have it figured out....

Years ago I engaged in critter wars, tried to fence the whole garden, etc etc. All of which ended in abject failure. The perennial garden kept growing though, and building its own soil and fan base, and while most of the unprotected shrubs have been losers there are many surviving flowers and herbs which are in balance with the herbivores that live among them.
What works for me, more or less! in vegetable gardening, is to fence and protect some raised beds for veggies while letting the critters roam free among the perennials and help themselves. Being a big place on the edge of a wild place, there is truly no way to keep them out of everything. But most of the time, they can be persuaded to leave my little veggie patches alone and enjoy the bounty that is free to access.
I remember some gardeners who mentioned putting out water for the birds, to keep them from pecking tomatoes. If water is scarce, that could be a winning strategy.
Either way, protect what matters most to you and plant some habitat for critters to be distracted enough without your favorite food - most of the time - can leave you with food and sanity at the end of the day, most seasons.
One thing that none of the critters here likes to eat is GARLIC. Yep, planting what they don't like is a fine thing as well.

[Sue_CT]

Always try to pick at first blush. Sometimes miss one or two. Just don’t put them in paper bag. Ripen on counter out of the sun. You don’t just want them to turn color but give them time to ripen naturally and let the flavors develop.

[Shule]

I always pick at color break or as soon after as I can, and ripen indoors. Critters are one issue but splitting from sudden rain is deadly. Once there’s an opening in the skin fruit flies set to work and end of story.

Fruit flies? Wild. What kind are they? If you ever take any pictures, I'd love to see the pictures.

[PlainJane]

@Shule I have no idea what kind other than they are tiny and swarm all over any fruit where they can penetrate the skin. Tomatoes, melon, stone fruit, doesn’t matter. They occasionally get into the house and are a nuisance.

[slugworth]

The blue ones like indigo blue beauty don't blush so I had to leave them on until the bottoms were dark red.Like those monkeys.
At one time I cheated and put old mirrors on the ground under the plants for full coverage vs. bikini.

[worth1]

@Shule I have no idea what kind other than they are tiny and swarm all over any fruit where they can penetrate the skin. Tomatoes, melon, stone fruit, doesn’t matter. They occasionally get into the house and are a nuisance.

Yeah and they have tiny red eyes.
They showed up here some time ago and almost impossible to get rid of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

@Shule I have no idea what kind other than they are tiny and swarm all over any fruit where they can penetrate the skin. Tomatoes, melon, stone fruit, doesn’t matter. They occasionally get into the house and are a nuisance.

Yeah and they have tiny red eyes.
They showed up here some time ago and almost impossible to get rid of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster

You can put a tad of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a bowl, cover with saran wrap, tape the wrap to the bowl or use a rubber-band, poke holes in the wrap with a toothpick. Fruit flies get in, cannot get out.

[slugworth]

I put old red xmas tree bulbs down as decoys.
try pecking on that.

male cardinals (the bird) are the worst peckers for red tomatoes.
I think they are jealous or a territorial thing.

[Sue_CT]

I have a small pond in my yard, have always had a fountain and/or birdbath and never had birds go after my tomatoes. I do hear that they are after the water, not sure how true it is. One year something was munching though, mice, chipmunks or something. Drove me nuts.

[karstopography]

I put old red xmas tree bulbs down as decoys.
try pecking on that.

male cardinals (the bird) are the worst peckers for red tomatoes.
I think they are jealous or a territorial thing.

Really, my yard is practically an aviary for Cardinals and never once has a cardinal or any bird here pecked a tomato.

[slugworth]

I have eyewitness reports.
We had a monsoon summer last year so you can't blame lack of water for the pecking.