Best Ways to Ripen Green Tomatoes Before Frost Arrives

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Has the threat of frost arrived, and you need to know how to ripen green tomatoes quickly?  

Towards the end of summer, when temperatures start dropping at night, your tomato plants slow their ripening process, and turning red takes longer. And then, before you’re ready, frost is in the forecast, and you’re not prepared.

But don’t let these healthy green tomatoes go to waste! Whether you are destined to enjoy fresh salads, tangy pizza sauce, or a hearty stew, your green tomatoes can be ripened and enjoyed.

This guide will walk you through 6 simple ways to quickly coax your tomatoes from green to red indoors.  

But before we dive into the methods for ripening them, it’s important to clarify what we mean by “green tomatoes.” 

What are Green Tomatoes

The green tomatoes we are talking about in this article are unripe. They are not to be confused with varieties of tomatoes that are green when ripe, such as Cherokee Green, Aunt Ruby’s, or Green Zebra. 

I should also mention that tomatillos should not be included either.  Tomatillos have a more acidic, slightly less sweet flavor than green tomatoes. They grow inside a papery husk and are often used in Mexican cooking.  

Why Do Tomatoes Stay Green?

Tomatoes are among the most popular fruits to grow in a vegetable garden, and for good reason. They are easy to start from seed and delicious. 

But, as the season winds down, though, you might find that your vines are still full of green tomatoes despite all your hard work.

Tomatoes ripen naturally using a plant hormone called ethylene. But once temperatures start cooling down and the days get shorter, plants slow down and stop producing this hormone, leaving many tomatoes in their green state. 

But all is not lost. Many may be mature enough to pick and ripen off the vine. 

What Do Green Tomatoes Taste Like?

Green tomatoes have a firm texture and a tangy, slightly acidic flavor that is very different from fully ripened tomatoes. Their crispness and tartness make them ideal for recipes that require a bit of bite, such as frying, pickling, or adding to sauces. 

Tips for Ripening on the Vine Before Frost

It’s no secret that tomatoes that ripen on the vine have more flavor. To help ripen them quickly before frost arrives, use these simple tips:

• Cut off the top of the plant. This will redirect energy down into the vine, helping to ripen tomatoes on the vine. 
• Remove any Extra Flowers – Late summer and early fall nights are cooler, and as I’ve mentioned, tomatoes stop producing the ethylene hormone. But plants will continue to produce flowers as long as they can access sunshine. 
  Therefore, removing extra blooms will redirect the energy into ripening fruits already on the vine. 
• Reduce Watering – Reducing water will cause plants to become stressed, which will cause fruits to ripen sooner.
•  Fertilize Plants—Giving tomato plants a late-season dose of nutrition will help speed up the time needed to ripen. Compost or a fish emulsion will give them the boost they need. 
• Remove any small tomatoes not fully grown – This frees up energy for larger ones. 
• Trim the Roots—Doing so will induce stress on the plant, causing it to ripen fruits. Cut a circle about six inches deep around all sides with a spade about one foot out from the stem. This will cut the outer roots and signal the plant to hurry and ripen. The best time to trim roots is about four (4) weeks before your area’s first frost. 

RELATED: Even if you’ve never gardened before, this Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Ultimate Guide is for you! Learn everything you need to know from over 70 resources, all in one place, to be a successful gardener, including improving soil, cover crops, warm and cool season crops, organic amendments, fertilizing, watering, garden pests and diseases, and so much more.

Best Green Tomatoes to Harvest Before Frost

At the end of the season, your tomato vines will still have many green tomatoes, but not all will be ripe before the first frost arrives. Use these easy tips to determine which ones to pick. 

• Choose only the large, more mature ones –  Smaller fruits that need to grow will not ripen well.
• Choose only firm tomatoes that are free of blemishes and insect bites. Both blemishes and insect bites will cause rot and fruit loss. 
• Choose all that have started a subtle color change. At the end of the season, tomatoes will be shades of pink, yellow, light green, and dark green. The pink and yellow ones will ripen nicely, and the greener ones will take a bit more time but will ripen. 

Remove any not ripe, as this will allow your plants to put energy into the others. 

How to Ripen Green Tomatoes 

Ripening green tomatoes indoors is simple. Several methods work. Test each method to see which works best for you.

Once early fall arrives, start watching the weather in your area for frost warnings. The day before the frost, pick your tomatoes and bring them inside.

Wash and air dry them well, ensuring they are dry before you do any of the following. 

Hang the Plants Inside Up-Side-Down

Let me warn you: This method is not for everyone. It’s messy and takes up a lot of valuable space, so if that’s limited, it may not be for you.

Pull up the entire plant and hang it inside a dry, draft-free area. The tomatoes will continue to ripen slowly, but they will ripen. 

Ripen Tomatoes at the Breaker Stage (Slightly Pink)

The best way to ripen pink tomatoes is to lay them out on your kitchen counter. The warmer temperatures inside will help them continue to ripen. It has nothing to do with light. The warmer temperature inside ripens them, so there’s no need to worry about a windowsill. 

Use a Paper Bag

As mentioned earlier, the ethylene gas hormone causes tomatoes to ripen. If you have only a few that need to be ripened, put them inside a paper bag and close up the top. 

Doing so traps the ethylene inside, which speeds up the ripening process.

Use a Banana or Apple 

Again, if you have only a few tomatoes to ripen, store them in a box or bag and add a banana. A ripe banana gives off additional ethylene, which speeds up ripening.

An apple works the same way if you don’t have a banana. Tomatoes will ripen in about two weeks when temperatures around 65-70 F are kept. 

Use a Cardboard Box

This is the method that we prefer to use. A combination of layering them between newspapers inside a cardboard box has worked for us. 

I’ve also been known to add a banana or apple, but I must remember to remove it before the gnats get after it. 

You’ll need:

• A large cardboard box that can be closed
• Newspaper or packing paper
• A Closet or Dark Area

1. On the bottom of your box, layer several layers of newspaper or packing paper. Since we no longer receive newspapers, we often recycle them from incoming shipments. 
2. Next, arrange the tomatoes on the paper in a single layer. Try to find ones that are near the same ripeness and free of bruises. 
3. Then, add a couple more layers of newspaper and repeat until the box is full, ending with a layer of newspaper on top. 
4. Then, store the box in a cool closet or dark location. I put ours in our bedroom closet since we don’t have a basement or root cellar. 
5. Check the boxes every 4-6 days and remove any that have begun to rot. Then, add these to your compost pile.  
6. Keep the newspapers dry and free of juices. If a tomato releases juices, replace it with clean, dry paper. 
7. Once the tomatoes have started turning red, remove them and set them on a windowsill to finish ripening. 

 These tomatoes will be ripe enough to make homemade pizza or spaghetti sauce, or you can preserve them however you choose. 

How to Use Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes can be frozen for later use, but they are also delicious, perfect for recipes to make fried green tomatoes or any of these delicious green tomato recipes. 

Don’t let the season’s end mean the end of your tomato harvest. With a few simple techniques, you can ripen green tomatoes indoors and enjoy their rich, homegrown flavor even as frost sets in. From a simple paper bag to the effectiveness of a cardboard box, there’s a method for every gardener. 

Try these tips to preserve your hard-earned harvest and savor the taste of summer long after the season ends. 

Even More Tomato Tips You’ll Love

• How to Grow Tomatoes From Seed
• How to Can Homemade Tomato Juice
• Canning Whole Tomatoes
• Easy Sun Dried Tomatoes
• How to Peel Tomatoes
• 11 Mistakes Made Growing Tomatoes
• How to Freeze and Peel Tomatoes

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