How to Perfectly Pick Your Tomatoes

How to pick perfect tomatoes

Do you have some tomatoes growing in your garden?

Are you wondering what the best way to pick them is?

Today, we are looking at how to pick your tomatoes. If you have a garden, most likely you are already starting to see your tomatoes ripen.

You may be wondering, when is the best time to pick them? How can I keep them tasting garden fresh?

We are going to share some of those answers with you today. In an article produced by Organic Gardening.com, we find some great solutions to the age old questions about when to harvest tomatoes.

This article not only provides that information, but also what to do next after you have picked your tomatoes. Solutions include how to store tomatoes and some great recipes. We are going to zero in on how to harvest tomatoes.

Here are 4 tips on how to perfectly pick and store your tomatoes.

  1. How to identify when to pick tomatoes
    The Old Farmers Almanac explains that the perfectly ripe tomato is one that is very red, firm, and you can find some yellowing around the stem.

    An additional tip to indicate if a tomato is ready to harvest comes from Tomatoedirt.com.:

    It is just a tiny bit soft when squeezed. Some gardeners say “in between firm and soft.”

  2. How to pick tomatoes

    When you have determined that a tomato is ready to pick, gently grasp it and twist it until it snaps off the vine. You may also use scissors or clippers to remove tomatoes from the vine.

  3. What to do with season stragglers

    Organic Gardening provides advice on what to do with tomatoes that do not ripen well.

    Tomatoes, including the greenest stragglers of the season, don’t ripen best in the sun. For best results, wrap under ripe fruit lightly in newspaper and store stem end down in a dark, dry, cool place (60° to 70°F). Check often.”

  4. How to store your freshly picked tomatoes

    Another interesting tip is to never refrigerate freshly picked tomatoes. Refrigerating actually ruins the fresh garden taste.

What do you think? What have you found that works best when picking tomatoes? Do you have a special way to harvest them and keep them fresh? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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