How the heck would any of us possibly know ? Pick one and slice it ,and do the taste test . Most red toms would be turning by now , what area are you in ?

northern ontario i apologize i thought maybe there was a sign of difference maybe between the two

Wish we could help you but there are thousands of varieties and 100s of green when ripe varieties. You'll have to go by feel. If it feels ripe, a bit soft, has some give, then it is likely close to being ripe regardless of color. If it is still hard as a rock then it isn't close to being ripe. In your zone time is running out fast for ripening so you may end up picking them green anyway.

Good luck.

Dave

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new garden - how exciting!

I'm sorry the first response to your question made you feel you needed to apologize. It's a good question, and a lot of people wouldn't even consider that the tomatoes might be a green when ripe variety.

I think statistically you probably have a red tomato, unless you know that the gardener planted other unusual veggies.

As Dave said, the way to tell is by touch - go out and fondle your tomato bottoms ðÂÂÂ

If they are hard/unripe, you may want to consider some proactive steps to tell them to get a move on. I'd start by finding out when your first frost should be (if you don't know) - try googling 'Ontario first frost' or similar - and taking a look at your long range weather forecast for nighttime temps dipping below 40 or so.

If you still have some time, you can try 'root pruning' your plant(s) by slicing a shovel into the ground about a foot away from the stem on a few sides (not all around.). This is supposed to speed ripening.

You can also search this forum for terms like 'ripen before frost' or just 'first frost' to get some additional ideas.

If your frost is coming, you may want to make plans to cover your plants at night -sometimes there's more good weather after a night of frost if you can pull the plants through it.

You're really just looking for a slight 'blush' of color on the bottom of the tomato or a little give/softness if they're green when ripes; then you can pick them and ripen them indoors.

Good luck and I wish you ripe tomatoes!

~emmers

Edited to add : I initially missed the part where you said you've grown most of the veggies before and thought you were brand new - my apologies.

This post was edited by emmers_m on Tue, Oct 1, 13 at 9:15

Welcome to the forum. It appears you just joined GW.

There are FAQ short articles in many forums, including this one. A second way of gathering info about a certain sub-topic would be to Search the existing hundreds of posts. There is even a forum devoted to Computer Help.

Sometimes I jump outside GW for a minute before returning. Check a spelling, or look up a short article.

Our purpose is to exchange info and help others. Sometimes we can be a bit curt when a new person asks a question that is often asked (and has a number of threads or post already going on). It is a good idea to look thru the existing posts before asking a question.

More often than not, when a new person asks a question on a subject they are not familiar with, there is not enough info supplied to answer the question. Even if you had supplied a photo of the plant and tomato, your question could probably not have been answered.

I'm in Ontario too, and most of the red tomatoes are at least starting to turn by now ... it's been a tough year for tomatoes here though, and there are lots of green ones.

When I grow green-when-ripe varieties, there seem to be 2 ways to tell if it is ripe. The first is what others mentioned here, by touch. They do feel differently, like a ripe red tomato just without the colour. Also, lots of green-when-ripe tomatoes don't end up being bright green. I find that a lot of them get a bit of a yellow-ish tinge or a creamy tinge when they are truly ripe. Not all varieties, but lots. So you can go out there are take a look at them.

Northern Ontario, depending on how north you go, canbe difficult to ripen long season red tomatoes, or hot peppers, any veggies that need a long growing season :) I know, from experience! If they are completely green, and supposed to turn red, you should start looking for recipes for green tomatoes (there are some good ones). If they are starting to turn colour but not completely red, you can try bringing them inside (before the first frost hits them) and try to finish ripening them on your windowsill.

Congrats on finding a vegetable garden in your new home! That's quite a bonus! Probably has pretty good soil in those areas too, and next year you can choose your own varieties to plant!