I dont know the answer to your question cleo88 but I am going through the same exact thing.. Lots of green tomatoes that just sit there and do nothing. I am worried that it may alter the taste once they ever do decide to ripen. I noticed too that the plants are not setting much fruit nor the are the plants getting much taller.. I'm in Ohio and the lows at night are never higher than low 60's and even the days are staying around 78-80..

Cleo, yoou aren't that far from me and I'm a zone 5 and you a zone 6 so you have more of a chance of getting ripe tomatoes than I do.

And yes, with all this constant rain and lack of sun which allows for energy formation via photsynthesis I think it's entirely possible that we won't get much fruit maturation unless the situation turns around ASAP and I don't think that's going to happen looking at some of the forecasts.

I'm already thinking I may have to grow the same varieties next year but my fingers are crossed for a change in the weather and a very late first killing forst.

Carolyn

I am in the same boat and having the same constant rain. The weatherman reported that we have had over 12" of rain during June and July............sigh

I am so disappointed as this was my first book growing my tomatoes from seed.

Seems to take forever too to ripen here too. I get a few stupice. The others are loaded with green fruit. I got tired of waiting and picked a few green ones that were next to the ground and a couple that hung out in the sun..into the frying pan with them. Night time temps have been 58 degrees, but plenty of sun in the day time here. Maybe its just me.
KennyP

Not just you Kenny. I've had full size big beef and better boy fruits for probably 3-4 weeks now. I keep telling myself to be patient.

I know what you guys are going through. I moved into our current house almost two years ago, but moved in too late to get the garden going when we first moved in, the following year, my son was born, so I barely managed to get plants in the ground with enough time to get fruit. So this year I was determined to get an early start and do all my prep work on time.

I started all my seeds with enough time to have hardened plants by mid April. We had a warm spell around then, so I was under the (misguided) belief we might have an earlier and warmer spring - so I planted all my plants then. They took off for a while, but then we had a cold snap and I had to cover my whole 20' x 10' garden in plastic, lol.

Well, long story short (too late I know), plants were in the ground since April and I'm just starting to get blushing fruits now, bit by bit. I have a bunch of half ripe fruits sitting on my counter: Cuore de Toro, Caspian Pink, Golden Bison, Mortgage Lifter, Stupice, and some Cherries. I've had a few ripe Stupice and 1 ripe mutant-catfaced Caspian Pink. The rest of my small first harvest is on my counter and probably will be ready for eating in 4-5 days.

Yeah, so I put my plants out on 4/15 and my harvest is only starting to begin now, in the end of July - 100 days after setting plants out, lol. They will turn red, just slower than normal apparently. I've been picking mine at blush because I don't want them to split open in the constant rain and I feel they might have a better shot at ripening quicker in my house where the temp is more stable and not dropping to 60s at night.

The more I read this I come to believe there is more to it this year. Every year I get the yard full of elm and maple tree seed. Not this year. No seed. Grapes have very little fruit. Lilacs bloomed for 3 days and quit...etc. Plants may know more than we do.
KennyP

Tomatoes don't mine it at all if nighttime temps are in the 60's. They well continue to set fruit with no problem, as long as the daytime temps are not above 95sh. Last night the low was 63 and today's high is supposed to be 93. That's a thirty degree swing. Now I understand tomaotes don't care for that much temperature differential. But they keep putting on fruit. I waitied so long to plant this year (mid May - I ususlly have them i the ground at the end of March) that I am going nuts looking at all the green fruit. I find myself asking if the are going to ripen before mid August. Man this really sucks.

Patiently waiting,

Happy Gardening

Tom

I too moved into a new home two years ago and though I had a reasonable garden last year, it was in need of a lot of renovation from the previous owners. Like gardenpa I started my toms early and was ready to go for the first of May when I had my garden doubled in size. It was so cold and so wet that I didn't even plant lettuce until the 20th. of June, five days after planting my tomatoes. I did not put my peppers in as it was still too cold and wet and while out one nice night to harden off, it rained hard, and by morning the slugs had devastated them. So far my green zebra and black zebra are setting fruit like mad and I have high hopes at least for them. They are small enough fruited that splitting should not be a problem and even a few days of sun will mature them. Everything else is up well but I wonder if pollination will be a problem with beans, squash, peppers what with so much rain, 21 days worth in June and 10 days so far this month. It's a good thing most of us avid gardeners seem to suffer from OCD, otherwise the last two years (both winter with record snow and summer with record rain) would be enough to put us off for good. My mom used to make whole, small pickled green tomatoes with the end of season crop that were to die for and I have pulled the plants and hung upside down inside where the fruit continues to ripen (though not as tasty as vine ripe). I will continue to hope that we get a decent August and, unlike last year, a real late killing frost. The opera aint over till the fat lady sings! Happy gardening.

"Tomatoes don't mine it at all if nighttime temps are in the 60's. They well continue to set fruit with no problem..."

Oh, I'm not having a problem with fruit set, just ripening. I had heard that tomatoes ripen faster in the 68-75 degree range, so I'm picking at blush and ripening indoors since my nighttime temps are dropping to low 60s and my daytime temps are rising into the mid to high 80s... Even if that only helps them ripen a day sooner, that's worth it to me. Also, the constant rains have already caused a few fruits to get some cracking - so picking a bit early helps prevent that too.