tomatoes from seed are still not ripe

sugardumpling

and there are a lot of blossoms and small green tomatoes.  what did i do wrong?  i started them indoors in march. planted week after memorial day.  we've had a few heat waves, thankfully no blight but nada.  the few that did ripen were delicious. 

 

scatterbrainliz

Do you remember which variety you planted?  Some are labeled determinate & indeterminate.  Determinate tomatoes are varieties that grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all their fruit in a short period, usually about 2 weeks. Indeterminate tomatoes are actually vines that continue growing in length throughout the growing season. 

sugardumpling

not sure, but i have the seed pack envelope home.  i know one was grape and the other was plum/roma.

skiergrl

We started from seed too and planted around May 18th we have just started getting lots of ripe tomatoes in the last week.  Give it a few more weeks and see what happens, next year I hope to get them in the ground sooner so we can get some earlier fruit. 

Alisha_A

sugardumpling:

not sure, but i have the seed pack envelope home.  i know one was grape and the other was plum/roma.

Just fyi, these are really shapes/types, rather than varieties.

I planted large plants, not seeds, and mine aren't ripe either. Effing cold summer here. Grrr. Between my gardening partner and I we have about 25 GIANT tomato plans covered in tons of green tomatoes. Lame.

Dracena

Next year get them in the ground earlier and start your seeds for your fall tomatoes in May. Make sure you get them in the ground by the first week of July. Tomatoes can not ripen when it's to hot and your spring ones are to tired and old to rebound from the summer heat. I would just toss them in the compost and try again in the spring. Good luck!

Alisha_A

Dracena:

Next year get them in the ground earlier and start your seeds for your fall tomatoes in May. Make sure you get them in the ground by the first week of July. Tomatoes can not ripen when it's to hot and your spring ones are to tired and old to rebound from the summer heat. I would just toss them in the compost and try again in the spring. Good luck!

Plant in July!?

I planted my first tomatoes - good-sized plants at the first of May and am just starting to get some tomatoes. My other plants, all planted later in May, are probably not going to ripen since we've had such a cold summer.

Tomatoes vary a lot depending on type, timing, and location. Where I live you have to plant good-sized plants by pretty early May, and they have to be short/early season kinds, or you'll never get anything, unless you go to extreme measures (uh, build a greenhouse?).

If its end of season, pluck off any yellow flowers, pluck any new 'sucker' growths, and reduce watering to help 'force' ripening. I've got about 200 green tomatoes, and its been highs of 50s. Ugh.

Dracena

Obviously planting times are different depending on where you live. I live in the south and we plant tomatoes after the last frost and again by July.  Tomatoes take anywhere from 50 to 85 days to reach maturity.  That does not mean after say 60 days you will have ripe fruit.  Spring tomatoes can't just rebound from all this crazy heat and begin to produce again in the fall.  Seeds CAN be grown indoors with a light kit.  Transplants are another option and usually don't run much more cost wise. The best thing to do is visit your local extension office web site.  They will have loads of information on everything from gardening to identifying insects and weeds.  I would follow their guild lines for your area.  They are highly educated people will college degrees in horticulture and agriculture.  Get the facts. Become educated.  Otherwise you may become frustrated and give up.