Recently, the weather has been so changeable that it is very difficult to guess when the heat will begin in the spring and cooling in the fall. Based on this, sometimes it is not possible to plant seedlings on time, and, as a rule, the entire crop does not have time to fully ripen. Consider how to properly ripen tomatoes at home so that unripe fruits do not replenish the compost pit.

Why do tomato ripening

Bringing tomatoes to a ripe state outside the plant has been used for many years. The main objectives of such actions are:

• increase in ripe harvest;
• preservation of fruits from late blight;
• increase the period of eating fresh tomatoes;
• preservation from cracking.

In addition, ripening is a convenient method of storing the crop at no additional cost. Those tomatoes that are endowed with delicate skin are easily injured when picked up. They can not be used for ripening, since a damaged surface can lead to decay.

Professionals recommend choosing the following low-growing, but high-yielding varieties for ripening at home:

• Watercolor;
• Fighter;
• Raspberry Wicante;
• Stone Flower;
• Kemerovoets;
• Sweet donut;
• Marfushechka-darling;
• Queen.

Important! Despite the degree of ripeness, all diseased tomatoes are thrown out without fail so that the disease does not affect other healthy fruits.

Proper harvest

The following stages of tomato formation are distinguished:

• green
• unripe;
• ripe.

Fruits are sent for ripening, which have the following external signs:

1. Tomatoes are green, but have already reached the size according to the variety.
2. When separated, formed seeds are visible.

Collection rules include the following:

1. Tomatoes in sunny weather rip off the bushes after 3 days.
2. You need to do this in the morning, while the fruits have not yet warmed up from the sun.
3. With sharp scissors, tomatoes are cut slowly, without tearing off the stalk.
4. Tomatoes are divided according to the degree of formation, removing those on which there is any damage.
5. To avoid the development of late blight, the fruits are dipped for 2 minutes in water, the temperature of which is +60 ° C, and gently wiped.
6. Tomatoes remove dirt and put them in the selected container.

Ripening methods

Today, there are several ways to make tomatoes blush faster at home:

• standard;
• on the bushes;
• in the package.

Let's consider each in more detail.

Standard

Fruits are placed in a room where the temperature is in the range +20 ... + 25 ° С, while ventilation and humidity should be at a sufficient level. Tomatoes are put on shelves, in boxes. The thickness should not exceed 20 cm. A ripening test is carried out every 4 days. At this time, ripe and damaged fruits are harvested.

To speed up this process, you need:

• increase the temperature to +28 ° C;
• add light;
• put fully ripened red apples or bananas.

Did you know? The name tomato was first sounded in Italy; in translation from this language it means “golden apple”.

On the bushes

To do this, they dig a bush along with the roots, remove the earth and hang it by the root in a warm room with good ventilation. It is important that the bushes do not touch. As a result, all the nutrients available in the roots and leaves will pass into the fruits, and they will not only ripen, but also become a little larger. A similar method can be done in a different way - when digging up lumps of soil from the roots, they are not removed. Bushes are placed in boxes and left in a greenhouse or on the veranda. Spend a weekly watering and eat finished fruits.

Paper layered storage

Torn tomatoes are put in the selected container in several layers, but no more than three. In this case, paper is necessarily laid between the layers. From above it is recommended to cover loosely with a lid for air penetration. Thus, they are stored at a temperature in the range of +12 ... + 15 ° С, the humidity should be above 80%. On average, this can be dosed for 1.5 months.

Important! It is necessary to abandon the ripening of tomatoes of varying degrees of maturity. The best result is obtained after preliminary sorting.

Optimal conditions and rules for further storage

During storage, the tomatoes breathe and evaporate moisture, therefore, in the absence of good ventilation, mold may appear, therefore it is important that the room has good ventilation.

In addition, the following conditions must be observed:

• air temperature - +10 ... + 12 ° С;
• humidity - 83%;
• no light needed.

Subject to all conditions, the fruits can be stored for about 3 months. Additionally, you can cover the fruit with petroleum jelly, paraffin or other substances. To minimize the chance of errors, you need to use the experience of summer residents.

Consider some useful tips to help extend storage:

1. Inspect the crop weekly for spoilage.
2. Systematically remove ripe tomatoes so that the rest do not ripen quickly.
3. The presence of the stalk will extend the period of lying.
4. Before laying, wipe the tomatoes with alcohol.
5. For ripening take fruits grown on the open ground.
6. If the storage is in a wooden box, it is pre-treated with alcohol and dried.

Did you know? Unlike many other vegetables, the beneficial qualities of tomatoes after heat treatment only improve.

How to stop the ripening of tomatoes

To increase the ripening period of tomatoes, you need to adhere to some rules:

• pluck only green, but at the same time fully formed;
• the fruits should be in the darkest room, but with good ventilation;
• the temperature for green fruits should be +12 ° C, for brown - +6 ° C, and for pinkish - +2 ° C;
• ripened tomatoes are harvested regularly;
• humidity - not more than 85%, but not less than 80%.

Video: Tomato ripening at home

Based on the foregoing, it is clear that you should not be upset if the tomatoes did not have time to ripen on the bush. Part of the crop can be processed, and the rest can remain for ripening. As you can see, this is easy and affordable for everyone.