Is there anything I can do to help ripen tomatoes?
Dorinda West, Birmingham
Stefan says: It’s strange that your tomatoes are still green in a season such as this one when we have had a succession of heatwaves. You don’t tell me which varieties you’ve grown but a few kinds, especially some of the large-fruited Mediterranean varieties, do require generally warmer conditions.
But whichever sort you grow, it’s warmth you need. It’s often thought sunlight is needed for tomatoes to ripen but it’s the heat from the sun, not the light that matters. You can put green tomatoes in the dark in an airing cupboard and they’ll ripen slowly. Best of all is to lay them in a cardboard box in a warm place with a ripe banana. Ripening fruit, especially bananas, give off the gas ethylene and this speeds up the ripening process. But check them regularly so they don’t become over-ripe and rot.