Hi Tee

We just picked our first Apollo tomato. It was red and gave a little to the touch, so we thought it was ripe. When we cut it in half, the flesh closest to the skin was whitish in colour and had a granular texture. Did we pick it too soon?

Mark

Hi Liz,

It can depend on what heirloom tomato you are growing. Heirlooms can come in a wide range of colors and sizes when ripe. Generally, if a tomato is starting to ripen you can pick it from the plant and allow it to finish ripening indoors. Simply place the tomato in a window sill and in a couple days it will be completely ripe.

Sometimes this method actually works better than letting it ripen on the vine. I have had issues with birds or squirrel biting the tomatoes if I leave them on the vine to ripen, so I almost always pick it once it’s in the early stage of ripening.

Ok, so the bottom of my heirlooms are turning a pink-orange color and the top 1/3 is still green.
They smell great – seem very heavy. Are they ripe?? I only have 9 and don’t want to waste one finding out.