When Do You Pick Tomatoes From the Plant?

Tomatoes continue to ripen as long as they're left on the vine.

Tomato plants are easy to maintain and vigorous, and they turn in a lush tomato harvest at the end of the season. To get a successful harvest, though, gardeners must know when to pick their tomatoes.

Varieties

Different varieties of tomatoes mature at different rates. It's important for gardeners to know what type of tomatoes they've planted, so they know whether to look for them early in the season, such as with "Easy Girl" and "Quick Pick," or late in the season, as with "Supersteak" and "Beef Master."

Ripening

According to the University of Missouri Extension, tomatoes are best when left on the vine for complete ripening. The University suggests picking tomatoes when they're full and plump, but not yet softening. When tomatoes are ripe enough for harvest, they'll come off the plant easily, with very little tugging.

Temperatures

The University of Missouri Extension goes on to suggest that the best time to pick tomatoes is when temperatures drop below 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The Tomato Gardening Guru states that gardeners should harvest all tomatoes when temperatures drop under 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as the plants stop producing at that temperature.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow: Tomato
• University of Missouri Extension: Growing Home Garden Tomatoes
• Tomato Gardening Guru: Harvesting & Storing Tomatoes