Field and Garden: Waiting for tomatoes to ripen

Summer is nearly over, and I’ve barely harvested any tomatoes from my garden. After talking with others, it seems I’m not alone in waiting for the green fruit to finally turn red.

Someone suggested trimming the tops of the plants to let more sunlight reach the tomatoes. However, while extra light can increase a tomato’s sugar content, it has little impact on ripening. That process is primarily con...