Harvested tomatoes for storage and ripening on November 2, 2011 (the first frost was predicted that night). We picked over a hundred tomatoes, most of which were still green.
We decided to experiment with different methods of ripening. Some were left on the vine, while others were picked and stems removed, and some were left of the plants to see if they would survive the frost and continue to ripen outside.
The plan is to ripen some in the garage at a cooler temperature, while others we will bring inside to ripen more quickly. We will take pictures and detail how quickly they ripen under each condition.
I connected my ventilation control system in the garage to try to maintain the temperature as close to the 50-55 degrees F that the Bubels recommend in their book, "Root Cellaring" to keep the tomatoes "on hold" -- the ripening time is predicted at 28 days if the temperature remains at 55 F.
We'll keep you updated on the progress of the tomatoes.
