Warning: My nieces' early picking habit wiped out our balcony tomato crop.

3 comments

3 Comments

Did you see that article about how picking tomatoes too early can hurt the whole plant? I read that tomatoes release a gas to ripen, and if you pick them green, the plant gets confused and might stop producing. For example, if all the fruit is taken early, the vine thinks it's done for the season and quits growing new flowers. My friend's kids did this with her patio plants, and she ended up with just a handful of tiny green tomatoes. Maybe you could show your nieces how to gently squeeze a tomato to feel if it's soft and ripe? It's tough when eager little hands jump the gun, but they might learn with a simple trick like that.

morganharris1mo ago

My neighbor's dog snatched all her green cherry tomatoes last June, and the plant stopped flowering entirely. Does the ethylene confusion happen more with determinate varieties that set fruit all at once? I had beefsteaks that kept going after early picks, but my romas quit. Maybe vine maturity plays a role too. What specific signs should we look for to know if a plant is stressed from early picking?

nathan_allen711mo ago

Read @piper_wells65's point and I admit I used to think early picking was fine. I always grabbed green tomatoes quickly, but now I see it can confuse the plant and stop new flowers. Honestly, look for yellow leaves or no new blooms as clear stress signs from early picks.