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You are here: Home / Podcast / 13: How to Ripen and Harvest Vegetables from Your Garden

September 9, 2022 By Candace Godwin Leave a Comment

13: How to Ripen and Harvest Vegetables from Your Garden

Fall is just around the corner and if your garden is anything like mine, you’re seeing lots of green tomatoes and other immature vegetables still hanging on the vine. In this episode, I’ll discuss ways you can get your vegetables to ripen on and off the vine, and what vegetables will only ripen on the plant. Plus harvesting and storage tips for your favorite garden veggies! And don’t miss the Show Notes below with supplemental info for this episode!

Listen to How to Ripen and Harvest Vegetables from Your Garden

Show Notes

Ripe for the Picking: A List of What Will or Won’t Ripen Off the Vine

Fruits and vegetables fall into two categories that define their ripening behavior. These are known as climacteric and non-climacteric.   

Climacteric fruits will ripen on or off the vine – meaning they will continue to ripen after they are picked. Tomatoes, hot chili peppers, and many common fruits like bananas, apples, peaches, and apricots are climacteric and will continue to ripen after they are harvested.

Non-climacteric fruits are those that will only ripen on the plant. These won’t ripen any further once they are picked, so it is important to harvest non-climacteric vegetables and fruits at exactly the right time to get the best flavor. Common vegetables and fruit in this category include cucumber, eggplant, bell peppers, summer squash, citrus fruits, strawberries, and watermelon.

Click on the button to see a list of common vegetables that will ripe on AND off the vine, and those that will only ripen on the vine!

A List of Climacteric and Non-Climacteric Fruits and Vegetables

immature vegetables | The Coeur d'Alene Coop
Which of these vegetables will continue to ripen after they are harvested? Only one — the tomatoes on the right.

How to Construct a Low Tunnel

Using a low tunnel is a great way to help vegetables continue to ripen into the fall. A tunnel essentially creates a mini greenhouse, allowing warm-season vegetables to ripen their fruits right up to the first frost. Click on the button to read more and see how to create a simple low tunnel.

How to Make a Low Tunnel to Extend Your Garden Season

low tunnel | The Coeur d'Alene Coop
A low tunnel can extend your garden season and help get warm-season crops ripe before frost hits.

Is This Green Tomato Ripe? How to Tell…

One question I’m frequently asked is how to tell when a green variety of tomato is ripe? It’s pretty easy to tell when a red tomato is ripening — you can watch the fruit turn from a dark green to a pale blush, and finally to a deep red. But what about tomatoes that ripen to green? How can you tell when it’s time to harvest green-colored tomatoes? Thankfully, a green cultivar tomatoes offer a couple of clues to their ripeness. Click the button to read and see more!

How to Tell When Green Tomato Varieties are Ripe

Green Zebra tomatoes ripening on the vine.
Green Zebra tomatoes in various stages of ripening. The tomato on the left is unripe; the center tomato is almost ripe; the fruit on the right is ready for harvesting.

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: bell peppers, climacteric vegetables, eggplant, floating row covers, green tomatoes, harvesting, hoop houses, how to build a low tunnel, low tunnels, non-climacteric vegetables, ripening green tomatoes, ripening off the vine, storing vegetables

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