Q: Help! I planted my tomato plants late, and then we had a lot of hot, dry weather, so there were no tomatoes. Now there are dozens of green tomatoes, but our average first fall frost is coming soon, so I think that many of the tomatoes are still going to be green when the frost comes. Can I cover the plants? Can I spray water on them like in the orchards to prevent them from freezing? I only know a few recipes for green tomatoes. What can I do?
A: Tomatoes, peppers, and many other summer vegetables ripen more slowly as the days become shorter and the weather cools off. Leaving the fruit on as long as you can will allow the fruit to get closer to being ripe, which will help when you do pick them. If there are a lot of vegetables to pick, don’t wait until the day of the first frost or you may not get to them all, especially if it gets dark as you rush to pick them.
