Lake eerie area 6a or 6b.Im running out of time until the first frost. I planted pretty late in the season and they aren't getting proper sun anymore. Night temps are creeping into the high 40s with the occasional big drops. Will they ripen or need to be cut? Does root pruning or other pruning work to speed the process?
by venturatheac3
6 Comments
Me too. I stopped watering. Within 2 days they began to ripen. I harvested and let them finish turning red inside. Saved them all that way.
You can pinch off any new suckers and any new flowers to try and direct resources to fruit ripening. Also be sure to fertilize with fruiting resources too!
The plant itself will continue to grow until a freeze or heavy frost kills it.
But the ripening process has already begun a dramatic slowdown. What used to take days now seemingly takes weeks. I’m unaware of any type of ‘pruning’ that will change that.
In my experience, any fruit that remains a dark green will never ripen. Leave them as long as you can and pick them before a big overnight dip or frost and ripen indoors.
✂️
I’m getting the best crop yet (8b), but I’ve pulled 99% of mine off green and let them ripen in my window sill due to pests. I did cut the unnecessary leaves and limbs to better direct energy to the fruit. 🍅
I’m in 6b as well. I pulled all of mine about 2 weeks ago when I saw other plants starting to suffer from cold nights. I brought them in, separated them into 2 paper bags and they ripened well, even the ones that were deep green are almost ripe. They still taste great!