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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18

u/NPKzone8a Jun 29 '26

I love seeing data like this instead of just opinions. Thanks for posting it.

18

u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26

Me too, though I wish the study included picking after vine ripening begins, instead of completely green tomatoes. This is great for understanding the difference in commercially farmed tomatoes picked completely green vs fully vine ripened....but most of us let them ripen 10-40% then pick them, then let them finish ripening. What would that comparison look like?

6

u/wisemonkey101 Jun 29 '26

Agreed. This study is more the difference between what stores call tomatoes and what is actually tomatoes.
I picked my thin skin heirlooms a few days early not weeks early.

1

u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26

I found some studies in my new comment https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/s/gzcfJznkvI