Tips to boost your tomato harvest this fall

   

At this time of the season, there are several factors that can slow or stop tomatoes from ripening, causing the fruit to linger in the green stage. Persistent high temperatures are the most common cause, but plant care also plays an important role.  At this stage of tomato plant development, it’s important to direct the plant’s energy towards ripening existing fruit, as opposed to growing stems and leaves, flowering and producing new fruit. 

  

This can be accomplished by pruning strategically, adjusting the watering schedule, stopping fertilization, and by providing protection on cool nights. 

Stem and leaf pruning. Start by removing any dead, diseased or damaged stems and leaves.

Next, prune lower leaves, suckers and any non-bearing branches, and pinch off new flowers. This improves airflow and light exposure, which boosts ripening.  

 

It also helps to remove any small fruit and any tomatoes that are soft to the touch or showing signs of disease.    

Root pruning will also encourage ripening. To root prune, simply stick a shovel or trowel six to eight inches deep into the ground, all the way around the edge of your tomato plant. This will chop off the ends of the roots and force the plant to stop new growth and divert its energy into the fruit. It should be noted that root pruning will dramatically decrease the life of your plant.   

  

Cut back on the watering.  The plant’s normal response to September’s warm days and cooler nights, is to begin to slow down. Cutting back on water signals the plant that it’s time to focus on fruit production rather than new growth. Less water helps to concentrate the sugar in the fruit, hastening the ripening process and producing a more flavorful crop. Start by slowly reducing the amount as well as the frequency of watering. The goal is to slow the plant’s growth, without letting it dry out to the point of wilting.   

Stop fertilizing. With the bulk of the crop already on the vine, it’s time to stop fertilizing.   

Protect your plants at night by covering them with an insulating material. Tomatoes need more than 60° F to ripen properly. With nighttime temperatures dropping into the fifties, keeping your plants warm will keep fruit ripening.    

Boosting your tomato harvest at this time in the season is a matter of redirecting the plant’s energy away from growth and toward maturing fruit.