Do cold temps cause tomatoes to ripen slower?

Here in Michigan, we've had a cool summer, several unusually cold nights, and not one day in the high 90's - very unusual for Michigan. We've had plenty of rain, but not too much in our area, IMO, but for example, yesterday the high was 70 and last night it got down to the low 40's.....in the middle of AUGUST! :-(

I have 18 tomato plants, and they are loaded with green tomatoes, but I've only had 1 red one so far! Will cold temps slow down the ripening of tomatoes? I'm just curious if I'm going to get any red ones before the frost comes!! ;)

Mine are starting to ripen but they seem behind schedual. It's been cooler here as well, maybe 3 days of 90 F. total so far. Not one single heat wave. This morning it was 52 F. !

Yep, the hotter, the better for ripening.

Ken

We also are having a cool ,rainy summer. It had definitely slowed my full sized tomatoes down. I have some lovely green Box Car Willie and German Johnson that I hope will ripen before frost. If not, I will bring them in before the first frost to ripen inside. Probably you will get some before frost. My smaller tomatoes have been trickling in since Aug. 8. It is enough for daily needs BUT I want my large slicers.With the cherry tomatoes I throw the ones I can't eat in freezer container whole to have a treat in cooking in the dead of winter.I put them over pizza, fish or stir fry with shrimp,

Keep your fingers crossed and remember to bring the green ones in before frost to ripen.

been an active year for wilt diseases around here it seems like(namely bacterial wilt), lost both my green zebra and paul robeson to it, and i am still scratching my head at what took my german johnson and great white. basically my only surviving tomato plants are some cherry tomato plants that popped up as volunteer seedlings when mom threw an expired store bought tomato in my compost bucket, lol.

Thanks everyone. Cross your fingers for me!
Hollysmac, I will remember!! Thanks for the heads up!

My daughter sent this to me today; not helping my situation one bit! Oh please, let it be wrong!

"Polar vortex in September’s forecast"
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/weather/polar-vortex-in-septembers-forecast-20140806

Just what I needed to hear about the upcoming winter. With two GH's to heat plus my enclosed porch, the electric bill will be headed up again.

I had a question. Since my yard faces south and woods on both sides. Would my tomatoes plants do better getting morning to mid day sun or mid day to warmer afternoon sun?

Mid-day to night exposure will give more hours of heat, and that's what tomato plants thrive on.

Then tomorrow the will get moved. They are in planters.

All my tomato plants have pretty much had it. Too much heat. But I got a good harvest, so can't complain. Even my cantaloupe and honey dew melon have exhausted their growth/production. Now the deer are into the leaves on my sweet potatoes. They have learned how to jump my 4' fencing.

Ken

Sadly, the late blight that is sweeping Michigan devastated ALL of my tomato plants. All of them, the whole crop, was destroyed. :'(

Next year, I will try again, but will space my plants out in various places here on our farm. Hopefully if one gets it, the rest might not.

I'm also wondering if I should grow them inside a small green house/hoop house to insure they get enough heat. Does anyone have any experience with doing that???

I got mine moved, but with the sun changing its course. they still are not getting that real good full sun in the afternoon. So if they dont start changing to red, I got to find some way to use the green ones. Yes I know about ,,Fried Green Tomato's...lol

Marie, I usually bring my tomatoes into the house when they start turning. If I leave them any longer than that, the birds peck them to death. I just put them on the kitchen countertop and they will turn red over several days to a week. I think the trick is to take them from the plants when you see that first blush of color on the green tomatoes.

Ken

Does any know if picked green peppers will ripen indoors the same way? I have red, orange, yellow peppers (still green) that have not ripened yet and tomorrow is Sept. 1.

I don't know about picking them green, but like tomatoes (though less so), if I bring in a bell pepper that has started turning red/orange/yellow and leave it on the countertop, it will color up a bit more. We generally use those bell peppers pretty quickly, so I don't really know how much additional color they will put on if I left them days longer.

I have the same peppers, but none have yet to turn red or yellow. So I am just using them as green peppers. Freezing some for winter also.
The tomato's I put the plastic cover that came with my little green house, over them with the zipper open to ventilate, to see if I can get them to ripen up. The ones I cant use right away I am freezing for the winter for soups and sauce. Blanch, cold bath, remove skin, into freezer bag.

The reason I need the different peppers to mature is because I am saving seeds. They are open pollinated varieties. :) I just pray the temps stay warm enough to give them time to ripen.

Glenda, my experience with peppers is that if they hang around on my countertop they just wilt eventually; they don't change color. I hope yours manage to ripen a bit more on the plant. I've been saving tomato seeds but haven't saved any pepper seeds this year.

Same here Greenhouse-gal.

And while we're talking about tomatoes, I have been bringing them in when I have a bunch of them, quartering them, puréeing them in my Vitamix, skin and seeds and all, and then cooking them down in my crockpot. I got some wonderful tasting sauce that way! Other years when I've had more tomatoes all at once I have cut them up, simmered them for a little while, put them through the tomato machine, and then cooked them down. But I like this better, not only for the end product but because it's easier.

I like that idea. I have never done it with the skins on.

I used to use the Vitamix method exclusively but then I read about roasting tomatoes in the oven. After they have cooked down I put them through a mill. I would put puree the tomatoes with skins and seeds in the Vitamix and then strain the sauce through a strainer, then cook. I must say the oven roasted and milled sauce seems to have a much more intense flavor and be even thicker than cooking down on top of the stove. But I agree that the Vitamix method is faster. Sometimes I have to use the stovetop method just for time's sake. But it's all good!