Gardeners worried about their unripened tomatoes have been urged to turn to an old gardeners’ trick involving a banana.
It’s been a great growing season for tomatoes with lots of hot weather to help ripen the fruits on the vine. But sometimes, even with the best of care, sunshine, water and feed, tomatoes stay stubbornly green and refuse to go red. That leaves gardeners with a decision – do you pick them and hope they turn red, or leave them longer but risk them going rotten instead?
But amateur garden experts on Reddit have urged gardeners to use a banana to ripen green tomatoes because chemicals released in the yellow bunches instantly ripen green tomatoes.
U/Famerazak said: “Pick them. Put them in a bowl, add a couple of bananas and cover for a few days. The chemicals (whatever they’re called) released by the bananas will help ripen the tomatoes.”
u/Human_totem_pole echoed this, adding: “My dad told me to put ripe banana skins under them,” and u/Reasonable-Mind-6400 confirmed: “Decaying banana skins give off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process of tomatoes and other fruit, your dad is spot on.”
BBC Gardeners World also backs this advice. It says: “One tip is to keep them in a drawer or paper bag with a banana. The banana will release ethylene, a hormone associated with the ripening of fruit, which will help speed up the ripening process. Check the drawer or bag regularly and remove ripened tomatoes as and when you find them.
“Tomatoes are best eaten straight from the vine, when they’re still warm from the sun. They don’t freeze well, but you can store them for a week or so at room temperature. Avoid storing your tomatoes in the fridge where possible, as this will give them a mushy texture. The best way to store tomatoes is to make a tomato sauce and then freeze it.
“Enjoy your delicious ripe tomatoes in lots of different dishes. To eat raw, simply slice and add to sandwiches and mixed salads, or make a simple tomato salad with tomatoes, olive soil, chopped basil, and a little sea salt. Most tomato varieties are also suitable for cooking, but large plum and beefsteak varieties are especially good for this purpose. Use a large harvest of tomatoes to make your own pasta sauces and soups, or to make preserves such as tomato chutney.”
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