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It’s been an extraordinary summer. I’ve never known a season when the temperature has been so high without any rainfall.My area is officially in drought, and unsurprisingly my lawn and yard are looking parched. It’s easy to see which plants and flowers are heat and drought-tolerant, and I’m making a mental note of what to concentrate on growing next year.Everything is behaving differently; even my tomato plants are responding to the high temperatures. Where they would usually be turning red, they are stuck in between color changes.I’ve been watering my tomato plants consistently, making sure they’re hydrated without overwatering. However, there’s one element that is outside of my control.Tomatoes react differently to extreme temperatures
(Image credit: Shutterstock)According to Holly from the Garden Tendencies Instagram channel, high temperatures impact the color change in tomatoes.“Once it stays above 85 degrees [29.4°C], tomato plants stop making the pigment that turns fruit red. So your tomatoes sit there, full-sized and stuck between green and orange, never finishing,” she says.Without knowing that the temperature halts the process, you may hold off harvesting your homegrown crop, but she advises against keeping them on the vine.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Instead, Holly suggests, “Pick at first blush, the moment you see any color, and let them finish on the counter.”But don’t worry, you won’t notice the difference in the taste.“The flavor difference versus vine-ripened is less than 1%. You’re not sacrificing taste, just outsmarting the heat,” she adds.How high heat stops tomatoes turning red
