When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes for the Best Harvest Jenny Graham, June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 Finally! You have a nice fruit set of tomatoes on the vine, which may have you wondering when to pick heirloom tomatoes. Lets take a look at the two schools of thought on when is the right time to pick tomatoes. When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes You’ll find that some gardeners have different opinions on when to pick heirloom tomatoes. In my garden I prefer to pick heirloom tomatoes, or any tomato variety, at the breaker stage of ripening. Stages of Ripeness for Tomatoes & When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes Immature Green Stage- These are the newest, small immature green fruits. Mature Green Tomatoes- Fruits are reaching full size but still firm and green. Breaker Stage- The color of the fruit finally breaks through the green, turning about 10% of the fruit a shade of it’s final color. At this stage the fruit is sealed off at the stem, receiving nothing further from the vine to ripen. Ethylene gas is then produced within the fruit to start finish the ripening process. Tomatoes can be safely picked to ripen at this stage. Turning Stage- Once the fruit has 30% of its color it has reached the turning stage. This is also a great stage to harvest tomatoes. Pink Stage- A large portion of the fruit is a light shade of its final color. Fully Red Ripe Fruits- The whole tomato has reached its full, uniform final color. What About the Sought After Vine-Ripened Tomato? The thought of a vine-ripened tomato may have you thinking about a juicy and plump tomato at peak flavor. It sounds like the best way to go for an amazing tomato harvest. There are some risks that you take when you leave your tomatoes on the vine to ripen. Not that it can’t be done, but you may want to consider what could happen to all those tomatoes during the ripening process. Risks of Vine-Ripened Tomatoes When it comes to leaving your tomatoes on the vine to ripen, you run the risk of loosing those sought after tomatoes to several things. These are some of the reasons I prefer to harvest my tomatoes at breaker stage. Splitting on Your Tomatoes As you walk through the garden you may see that all your tomatoes are looking great as they go through the ripening process. You wait with anticipation to harvest those vine-ripened tomatoes. Upon returning to the garden the following morning, you discover that all your tomatoes are split! Splitting of tomatoes will often occur just before peak ripeness after a decent rain shower. The overload of water can cause the skins on your tomatoes to split. Harvesting at breaker stage eliminates the splitting of your tomatoes. Sun Scald on Your Tomatoes Sun scald is a very real thing with tomatoes and peppers. Since my garden is in full sun in Florida, I prefer to grow under a shade cloth. Tomatoes that are left out in the scorching sun day after day can be susceptible to sun scald, leaving unsightly burnt spots on your lovely tomatoes. When you harvest your tomatoes at breaker stage, you can eliminate the chance of sun scald. Cold Weather When growing tomatoes in the fall, or when an upcoming first frost may be an issue, you may find that harvesting your tomatoes at breaker stage will maximize your harvest. Leaving them on the vine to ripen may run the risk of damaged fruits. Temperatures unexpectedly can dip down into frosty temperatures overnight. Hot Weather Not only can cold weather take a toll on tomatoes, but hot weather as well. In the hot, humid weather, tomatoes can really struggle. This is another reason why you may want to harvest tomatoes sooner than later. In fact, when day temperatures rise above 95 degrees and night temperatures are upwards of 72 degrees, our larger fruited tomatoes will not set. This is the most common reason why tomatoes stop producing, according to the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Harvest those tomatoes early in high temperatures. This will take some stress off your plants during the hottest, late summer months. Insect Damaged Tomatoes Leaving tomatoes on the vine to ripen makes them more susceptible to insect damage. Harvesting them at breaker stage cuts down on the amount of time they are exposed to insects and the havoc they can wreak on your tomatoes. Critters Snacking on Your Tomatoes This is probably the most frustrating of all the risks of vine-ripened tomatoes. Enter the rabbits, squirrels, and other rodents. Just like us, they love a vine-ripened tomato and won’t be shy about sneaking into the garden to enjoy them. Before I started harvesting at breaker stage, I was continually loosing most of my ripening tomatoes at the bottom of the vines. They don’t just nibble either, we are talking a whole meal of tomatoes! Are Vine-Ripened Tomatoes from the Grocery Store Really Vine-Ripened? We’ve all seen that beautiful cluster of tomatoes still on the vine at the grocery store, right? Truth be told, farmers can harvest tomatoes at breaker stage and leave them on a section of vine to ripen on the way to the grocery store. After all, this is still technically a vine-ripened tomato. Marketing and labeling at it’s finest. Will Picking Unripe Tomatoes Negatively Affect the Flavor? Rest assured, you can harvest your tomato fruit at breaker stage and not negatively effect the flavor. Picking tomatoes at this stage will safely secure your tomatoes so they can ripen indoors on the kitchen counter. They will reach peak flavor in no time. How to Ripen Tomatoes After Picking Now that you know when to pick heirloom tomatoes, ripening them after picking is easy. Simply place them in a single layer on the kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight. Usually within a couple of days they will start to fully ripen. I prefer to leave my tomatoes out in the open to ripen, as opposed to putting them in a paper bag. I can keep a better eye on them that way. You do hear many home gardeners using the old paper bag trick with success though. How to Tell if a Tomato is at Peak Flavor and Ready to Eat When tomatoes are ready to eat they will be a rich, uniform color over the whole fruit, with the exception of a few varieties that keep green shoulders or multicolored tomatoes like the green zebra. The skin will be glossy with a silky feel to it. If you gently squeeze your tomatoes they shouldn’t be too firm but also not too soft. Right in the middle is the sweet spot for ripeness. Fully ripened, fresh tomatoes should also have a nice sweet, earthy smell to them and have a slightly sweet flavor. When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes- Cherry or Grape When it comes to picking cherry tomatoes, I still pick at beakers stage. Most cherry tomatoes grow in what is called a chord, which is a grouping of tomatoes. It is tempting to wait until all the cherry tomatoes on a chord are ripening at the same time but they often won’t. Picking them individually at breaker stage will ensure you get the most out of your cherry tomato plants. When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes- Determinate Vs Indeterminate Varieties Picking determinate vs indeterminate tomatoes is a little different. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow throughout tomato season, as long as weather permits and as tall as you trellis them. This spreads out the harvest over the season so you are only picking a few tomatoes off of the vine at a time. They are good for a long growing season. Whereas determinate tomatoes give a whole crop all at once. The fruits off of a determinate tomato plant will usually be ripening within a week or two of each other, making it easy to harvest a bunch all at once at the end of the growing season. Many tomato growers will choose to grow determinate varieties if they have short growing seasons or want a large harvest all at once for canning. When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes While Vine-Ripening While deciding when to pick heirloom tomatoes, there are a few key factors to keep in mind, especially if vine-ripening is your goal. Feel and Texture- Not too firm but not too soft with a silky skin. Surface- Plump and smooth Smell and Taste-Earthy and sweet Vine Attachment-Ripe tomatoes should pop off the vine somewhat easily. Some larger varieties appreciate being snipped off the vine. How to Store Unripe Tomatoes for the Best Flavor Now that you know when to pick heirloom tomatoes, you may be wondering how to store them correctly. The best way to store unripe tomatoes is out of direct sunlight in a single layer so they don’t get bruised while ripening. I prefer to leave them right out on the kitchen counter top so I can use them when they are at peak ripeness. How to Store Ripe Tomatoes Once tomatoes are fully ripe, store your juicy tomatoes at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. While a little cool storage won’t hurt them, long term storage in the refrigerator will degrade the flavor and give them a mealy texture. Canning or freezing tomatoes is a better option to extend the shelf life. Alternatively, you can also roast tomatoes with garlic and herbs and store them in a mason jar topped off with olive oil for a shorter term, and yummy way to preserve them. Recommended Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes Beefsteak Tomatoes Mortgage Lifter Black Krim Cherokee Purple Lemon Boy Kellogg’s Breakfast Homestead Cherry Tomatoes- Heirloom Varieties Green Zebra Black Zebra Chadwick Black Cherry Everglades- Florida Wild Heirloom Hybrid Tomatoes Hossinator Tomato Better Boy Hybrid Variety Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes Indigo Sun Cherry Tomatoes Sweet 100’s Cherry Tomatoes How & When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes, or Other Tomato Varieties From the Vine Picking larger, slicer tomatoes off of the vine is a two handed job. Secure the vine with one hand and pop the tomato off with the other hand. Using a hand to secure the vine will help prevent any damage to the vine. Cherry tomatoes however, will pop off the chord easily with one hand. When to pick heirloom tomatoes, or any of the other tomato varieties, is really a personal preference. In my garden, all of my own tomatoes get harvested at breaker stage to ensure I get the most out of my heirloom tomato plants. You may also enjoy reading: How to Know When to Pick Jalapeno Peppers: A Growing Guide Happy Homesteading & Harvesting, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Gardening Homesteading