Five tips to ‘ripen’ your tomato plants ‘much faster’ to receive ‘juicy fruits’

With the start of each growing season, gardeners across the country look forward to the thrill of picking their first ripe tomatoes.

However, if gardeners have been noticing that their tomato plants are not growing as quickly as they should be, there can be a reason for it. 

Tomatoes are a tropical warm-season plant with very particular needs. Most tomato varieties need three to four months of warm conditions of around 21 to 27 degrees, moderate watering and plenty of fertiliser to grow flavourful fruits.

For those who have a short growing season with not enough days, there are a few things gardeners can do to encourage fast growth that will produce an early harvest.

According to gardening experts at garden retailer Gardener’s Supply Company, there are five ways to “speed up the ripening process” and “shorten the wait for those first juicy fruits”.

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1. Choose fast-maturing varieties of tomatoes 

The experts first advised choosing a variety that is a “quick grower” and an example of this is cherry tomatoes. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, cherry tomatoes “ripen much faster” than beefsteak varieties, which require prolonged warmth and sunshine to redden up their hefty fruits.

When selecting transplants or purchasing seeds to start indoors, check variety descriptions for the number of days to maturity.

2. Warm up the soil 

Gardeners will find that tomatoes “grow best in warm soil” and chilly soil “will slow their growth”.

If garden beds are covered with mulch, pull it back in early spring to expose the soil to the sun’s warmth. 

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Placing a sheet of clear plastic over the bed will also help, claimed the experts. They added: “The soil in containers and raised beds warm up faster than garden soil, so they’re ideal for heat-lovers like tomatoes.”

3. Harden off plants 

Whether gardeners have grown their tomato plants from seed or purchased them, they’ll need hardening off to acclimate them to outdoor conditions. 

About a week before setting the seedlings into the garden, place them in a protected spot outdoors (partly shaded, out of the wind) for a few hours, bringing them in at night. 

Gradually, over the course of a week or 10 days, expose them to more and more sunshine and wind. 

4. Wait to apply mulch 

In spring, gardeners should leave the soil bare around new transplants for the first month or so, to allow the sun to continue to warm the soil. 

Now that summer has arrived, gardeners can apply a two-inch layer of straw or any other type of mulch to help conserve soil moisture.

5. Support the plants

Flopping stems and sprawling foliage provides shade for the maturing fruit, which “will delay ripening”. 

To avoid this the experts recommend installing sturdy supports during planting time to keep plants upright.

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