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Joined: Oct 2004
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NuSkewl Offline OP
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Ours are really nice looking, but they've been big & green for a long time. Is this normal? If not,what's the scoop??

Thanks!!!

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Fencer
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Fencer
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too much shade? but, I'm in a whole different part of the country. someone else could surely help you more that I.


Cricket

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker
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Deep Purple
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Deep Purple
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they should be getting red by now...they should be in direct sun, if not, they'll take longer to ripen.


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Miss. Farmer
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Miss. Farmer
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I don't pay any attention to Columbus weather, but if it's anything like Cincinnati (generally speaking) I thinks this bit of a cool snap has slowed flower set and fruit ripening on the tomatoes. Same problem with the peppers-- really slowed down, as has the lima bean ripening.

I track my daily harvest on a spread sheet (I'm trained as a biostatistician, i.e., geek). Anyway-- I'd been getting about 3-4 pounds of tomatoes every day since the end of July, beginning of August. That's slowed to about 2-3 pounds the last few days. I attribute this to the cooler than typical night time temperatures. In Cincy, average lows are in the mid-60s and the last couple of weeks we've have many nights in the mid-50s and even a couple cooler than that. Tomatoes set flowers only when the night temps are consistently in the high 50s-- and preferably much warmer than that. My sense is that one of two cool nights doesn't matter that much, but a string of them might.

The cooler weather might also affect ripening-- it's an enzyme issue.

I've been picking my romas when they are just beginning to turn. I stack them (along with the rest of the toms) in a wire-sided bowl/basket (air flow) and keep them on the dining room table (do NOT refrigerate). Next day I stack more on top. WIthin two days the bottom ones are beautifully red and perfectly textured.

Supposed to warm up later this week so I'm hoping things will get cranking again soon.


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"No crime is involved in plagiarizing nature's ways" (Edward H. Faulkner, 1943, "Plowman's Folly," University of Oklahoma Press).
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Roma's can take a while to ripen but when they do you'd better be ready to can or whatever you plan to do with them. JD


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