Ditch 'common myth' for 1 staple when ripening tomatoes - they will ripen 'even faster'
The UK's recent heatwaves mean many gardeners may have noticed the ripening of their tomatoes slowing down or ceasing altogether.
A gardening expert has shared a simple way to ripen green tomatoes off the vine.
When temperatures peak above 29C, tomatoes can stop ripening as the fruit cannot produce the pigments that give them their colour.
The best temperature for tomatoes to ripen is between 21C and 23C.
Over-fertilising tomato plants can also stop the fruits from ripening, especially if the fertiliser is high in nitrogen.
Ripening tomatoes on the vine can be difficult as you're often at the mercy of the British weather.
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In a short video on YouTube, @TheGardenFamily shared the "best way" to ripen tomatoes off the vine.
The keen gardener shared a "common myth" about ripening green tomatoes that many people follow that doesn't actually ripen tomatoes.
Many gardeners ripen their green tomatoes on a sunny windowsill as they believe sunlight facilitates the ripening of unripe tomatoes.
"Sunlight doesn't really play a role in the ripening of tomatoes and they will actually ripen even faster if you place them in a paper bag with other ripening fruit," the expert said.
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Overripe fruit, like bananas, emits ethylene gas which will help other fruit to ripen faster.
Placing tomatoes in a paper bag with other ripening fruit traps the ethylene gas around the ripening tomato which will speed up the ripening process.
Some tomato varieties do not turn bright red, yellow or orange when they are ripe and are paler in colour.
Check which tomato variety you are growing before trying to ripen them.
