– Garth Ruff, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, Henry County
Photo: eXtension.org
If you still have tomato and pepper plants, they may be loaded with green fruit, but not ripening at all. First and foremost, tomatoes and bell peppers are very sensitive to air temperatures. Tomato and bell pepper color, flavor, plant growth and fruit production are optimal when daily temperatures are 70-75F, with nighttime temperatures 60-65F. High temperatures, specifically anything above 85F during bloom and ripening periods, will result not only in reduced fruit set (bud abort), but fruit flavor, texture and color will also be directly affected.
As seasons change, tomatoes do not like cooler temperatures either. In fact, temperatures lower than 50F will cause a type of chilling injury. It may take 2-3 days for tomatoes to return to their previous levels of photosynthetic activity, even after just a brief chill period. For this reason, the best way to preserve the color and flavor of vine ripened tomatoes is to keep them in a cool place out on the counter instead of inside the refrigerator.
As the gardening conditions experienced by tomatoes and bell peppers this growing season were reviewed, everyone suddenly realized that the fact they just had green tomatoes was a good thing!