Picking Fruit Before It Is Ripe

[Setec Astronomy]

Usually I don't have this problem, but starting about a week ago, between the birds and some nocturnal animal, my tomatoes, ground cherries, and strawberries are getting decimated. I usually leave the fruit on the plant until it's ripe, but I'm thinking now I can't do that.

I don't think I can pre-pick the ground cherries and strawberries, but what are the guidelines for pre-picking my tomatoes? What is the downside of picking before fully ripe?

[Vanman]

I always pick at first blush so I get the tomato instead of a bird or other animal. I see no downside.

[worth1]

Anything is better than nothing.

[PlainJane]

I always pick tomatoes right after first break and ripen indoors. I’ve tried this with figs too but the timing is tricky. ( birds go after my figs aggressively.)

[EdieJ]

[mention]Setec Astronomy[/mention] Once the tomato starts showing color, I've been told, it gains nothing else from the parent plant. I do know we like to pull ours as soon as we can not just because of critters but also the weather. Nothing like having a couple dozen almost ripe get shredded by hail . And quality/taste do not seem to be affected at all.

[Shule]

This is a matter of opinion, but I personally think they taste somewhat better fully ripened on the plant. That's the only real downside I see. It makes a bigger difference for some varieties than others. They're still good ripened indoors, either way, though, and some kinds might even be better. Be sure to pick them when they're as close to ripening as possible, if not at first blush.

Another advantage to ripening indoors is that you don't have to worry about splitting as much. Plus, if you know the weather is going to change and impact the taste of your tomatoes, harvesting early can help you avoid that. Plus, the sooner you harvest, the sooner the plant may have more resources to allocate to other stuff.

[worth1]

If you have a prize tomato you just have to have ripened on the vine put a sock over it and it will do just fine.
Birds and critters don't eat socks.
I have done this many times.

[Pokemato]

If you have a prize tomato you just have to have ripened on the vine put a sock over it and it will do just fine.
Birds and critters don't eat socks.
I have done this many times.

That's a great tip! I had never thought of that, but now I have a use for all of the singles of the lonely socks club from the dryer!

[ponyexpress]

Another option is to protect your tomato using a strawberry or blueberry clamshell container. A couple of community gardeners do this in my area.

[bower]

Lots of good advice here. I think Shule is right that there are a few varieties that suffer quality loss from off vine ripening (iirc some early reds) but the greater majority of tomatoes seem to be fine with ripening off the vine, anywhere past the 'green ripe' stage.
The key to ripening off the vine IMO is temperature. 60-70 F is the ideal range afaict. It's well documented that tomatoes won't produce lycopene and other tasty things at refrigerator temps. And I had a bad experience with some hot days when I had tomatoes ripening in an overheated room. They were awful - basically ruined. IDK how many degrees above 70 F might still be in the zone, but since then I always keep ripening tomatoes in a cool room downstairs.
Once a tomato has blushed it will soon color up as it's producing enough ethylene to ripen itself on a plate. When we have green ripes to bring indoors in the fall, we put them in paper bags or in a cardboard box. The enclosed air allows ethylene to build up and helps them to ripen.

[Setec Astronomy]

Great advice--thanks. It's been a rough week, between my night raider, birds during the day, and a hurricane in the middle.

[Sue_CT]

There might well be some that are better fully ripened on the vine, but the only ones I have found are cherries. I actually find they often taste better ripening in the house away from windows. They don't keep taking up water, and I find tomatoes grown a bit dryer have more flavor. I pick anywhere from breaker stage to pink stage, unless I miss one and it gets to light red. My house is usually between 70-80 degrees with the ac's. I wonder why a hot room would ruin them, though? They ripen in 95 degree heat outside. Interesting.

https://www.veggiegardener.com/green-to ... hen%20ripe.

[Setec Astronomy]

Well, most of what I'm growing is cherry tomatoes, or "saladettes", but at least I know more of them are going to grow (hurricane damage notwithstanding). What about peppers? I just realized after running out with a flashlight to pick a bunch of my bigger tomatoes that I have 3 orange peppers that are just getting ripe and may be the next target if there aren't any tomatoes--will the peppers continue to ripen inside also?

[Sue_CT]

I don't think peppers continue to ripen but I am not positive about that. I would leave them on the plant until you get confirmation. You might net them just to protect them for now.

[Shule]

Yes, peppers will ripen post-harvest (as long as they're mature enough and not refrigerated). I've done that a lot. Some peppers will ripen in the refrigerator, but slowly, and not all of them.

No, you don't need to refrigerate peppers at all.

[brownrexx]

I ripen my bell peppers indoors all of the time and it works well.

[bower]

I have not had success ripening peppers off the vine at all! Even if I keep them in a bag, they always got wrinkly before they got ripe. Maybe they were just picked too early. The only pepper that I've managed to ripen after picking without the loss of fresh quality is Frank's.
I did ripen some hot peppers successfully, by pulling the whole plant and hanging them upsidedown while the peppers ripened.
Any pepper ripening tips?

[Shule]

[mention]Bower[/mention]
Hmm. Yeah, you probably just picked them too soon. Make sure they're full-sized and look just like they do when they're ripe, except green. They need the ripe texture and structure, too. If they're too unripe to use as a green pepper culinarily speaking, they're probably too unripe to ripen off the plant.

If you still have trouble, it might be that the walls of the peppers are too thin, or the peppers are too small, to be ideal for this. In that case, try peppers with thicker walls or larger fruit.

You can pick tomatoes somewhat earlier than peppers to ripen indoors off the plant.

[pepperhead212]

Like tomatoes, as long as peppers have a hint of ripeness - often just some brown - they will ripen. Often, even those full sized ones that don't have a hint of color, will ripen, as the ripeness has started inside. Some peppers I pick like that, when just starting, through to fully ripe - same with cherry tomatoes, as in just a couple of days there are dead ripe ones, plus a bunch of those in between! Habaneros, however, I leave on until dead ripe, as the heat increases in those.

[Setec Astronomy]

Well, my peppers have been ok, so far, but last night whatever this is moved on and cleaned off 2 of my 3 Maglia Rosas, I had picked a lot off of them but there was still a lot of pink fruit--gone. I had presumed this creature was a skunk, racoon, or possum, but it seems either very small, or large enough to be able to (stand up and?) clean off these plants without knocking the plant over or destroying it. This is on my deck so depending, there is some access to railings or furniture to stand on. It also cleaned off all my lower Brad's Atomic Grape, and it looks like some Sun Gold. Anyway, it's progressed from the ground cherries to the big tomatoes and now to the smaller ones.

Any ideas as to what this creature is and how I can discourage it?