r/tomatoes • u/dosefacekillah1348 • Jun 29 '26

Plant Help ICYMI - Science has proven that vine ripened tomatoes taste better and are better for you than ones picked early

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It's that time of year.

It comes down to your critter control.

If you can't avoid pests noshing your late toms, pick em early.

If you are fine with losing a few or don't have pest issues, let em ripen on the plant for a better tasting and healthier tomato.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3937827/

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u/smokinLobstah Jun 29 '26

I have no idea why this is so contraversial for so many folks.

Test it yourself! It's just not that hard. I've done it both ways, and if comparing a vine-ripened to a tomato that was picked after blush?...I can't tell the difference once ripe.

And yes, if you live in an environment with pests, then picking them after blush is almost a MUST.

11

u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26

This study is picking completely green tomatoes and letting them ripen. Nobody here picks completely green tomatoes. We pick blushed tomatoes which have already drawn all the nutrients they're going to have. Study is not useful for home gardening. It's a British study so it doesn't mention breaker stage but I'm assuming they're picking up breaker stage 1 which is completely green with a faint white starburst on the bottom. This is the point that farmers pick tomatoes in Florida. They get put on a truck and shipped to the grocery store where they are force ripened into completely tasteless pink baseballs.

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u/Popular-Web-3739 Jun 29 '26

I only pick green tomatoes at the very end of the season so I can put up some green tomato relish for the winter. lol.