Tomato growers hoping to avoid a glut of green fruit at the end of the season should follow a simple pruning routine, according to Monty Don.
Writing on his blog, the gardening expert said: "Tomatoes are coming up to their prime harvesting period, but to extend this and make sure that all the current green tomatoes fully ripen over the coming month or so, there are a few things the tomato grower should do now."
Strip lower leaves for better ripening
His first piece of advice is to remove the bottom half of the leaves from each plant. This allows more direct sunlight to reach the growing fruits and improves air circulation, which also cuts the risk of disease. Monty recommends repeating the process weekly until no leaves remain.
He also suggests cutting back on watering unless conditions are very hot, to prevent the fruit from splitting. Gardeners should keep up a weekly feed of liquid seaweed or homemade comfrey feed, which he says is ideal for maximising flower and fruit production.
This year's unusually hot weather has created challenges, but slightly cooler days can be used to advantage.
RHS guidance on picking and ripening
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, tomatoes ripen from mid-summer onwards, depending on the variety, weather conditions and the size of the fruit. Cherry tomatoes tend to ripen faster than larger types.
The RHS said: "Check plants every few days and pick tomatoes individually, with the stalk still attached, as soon as they're ripe and fully coloured."
For unripe fruit at the end of the growing season, the charity suggests lifting outdoor plants and laying them on straw under cloches to ripen, or picking the fruits and placing them somewhere warm and dark. Another option is to put unripe tomatoes in a drawer with a banana to help them ripen.
