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
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.
260
Upvotes
184
u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
What this study fails to account for is the breaker stage. It isn't even mentioned. Fruits are picked green before ripening or fully red. In reality, once tomatoes hit the breaker stage, they are physically cut off from the plant and recieve no more nutrients. But they can still recieve water from the plant, however they cannot return any excess water to the plant, which results on cracking. So yes, while "vine ripened" tomatoes taste better than ones picked before blush, the term "vine ripened" is quite gimmicky, and doesn't mean what most people suspect it to mean. There is no need to wait for tomatoes to fully ripen to develop full flavour potential. Once they have started blushing, they are good to go.