Ripening Tomatoes in Boxes

We grow an absurd amount of tomatoes in our gardens. Well, it seems kind of absurd until we mention that it’s for four different households. Oh, and it’s used to make a whole host of tomato products that help us save a bunch of money! Click the link to see just how much we’re saving.For those simple reasons, tomatoes are very important to us. It’s extra important that we have a good growing season and harvest. Over our years of canning we decided to change our tomato process. We’ve started ripening tomatoes in boxes and we’re ready to share more about it.

Why Do We Do It?

Let’s start with why we’re ripening tomatoes in boxes. 

The biggest benefit for us is being able to wrap up our gardens a little earlier. Canning season is a mad dash to the finish line. Pulling the tomatoes out of the garden allows us to pull the plants out. Once the plants are out we can clean up the area and put it to bed. We get our tomatoes out by mid-August but if we left them on the plants it’d be mid-September before we’d get them out.

The other reason is to try to get away from pests. We have so many tomato worms! Plus other wild animals and one dog that likes to eat our tomatoes. Ripening tomatoes in boxes saves them so we get to use a larger amount of them. 

The last reason is that it’s easier on our bodies. Picking tomatoes in hot heat is not fun. It’s significantly quicker to pick them out of boxes when they are ripe. Someday when our babies are a little bigger we may change our minds but for now this process is easier for our old(er) bodies. 

The Process

The process is pretty simple. Let your tomatoes grow until they are just starting to ripen. A good sign for this is when they start to change color. From there, they need picked off the plant and put into a box. You can use any size box but they can only be one layer and it has to be able to be closed. Don’t stack them all up because this causes them to put pressure on each other which can cause them to go bad.

Close and place your box(es) in a safe dry area. We keep ours in the garage but a basement would work well too. Or a counter if that’s all you have. Make it work!

From there you let them get all the way red and then they are, obviously, ready to go! Process them into your favorite salsa or spaghetti sauce. 

The Downfalls

I want to be realistic and tell you there are some downfalls. This process isn’t perfect but it works for us. I’ll share the down side so you can figure out if this process is for you. 

First, they rot. There will be tomatoes that rot no matter what. You’ll see them rot outside and you’ll see them rot in the boxes. When they rot in boxes the box gets all wet and gross. Plus they start to stink. This is why the garage is a great place for them because it’s a cement floor and can’t be ruined. Plus, we don’t have to smell them everyday. 

Second, you may get smaller or less tomatoes. This is debatable. Leaving them on the vine could allow them to grow larger but then you risk worms and other pests. If you don’t pull out your plants you could potentially see them keep blooming too and therefore produce more tomatoes. By the time we pull out our plants the blooms are mostly gone. Plus, we’d need good weather to be able to get more tomatoes to grow and that’s a big gamble. Michigan weather is super unpredictable. We’ve found that the benefit (possibly more tomatoes) isn’t usually the case unless we have a really hot year where it stays warm overnight too. 

In Summary: Ripening Tomatoes in Boxes

As you can see from my post on tomato products, we get more than enough tomatoes. We make enough of these products for four households! Until we add more mouths to the mix, ripening tomatoes in boxes is the way to go for us. In the mad dash if canning season, tomatoes are one thing we’ve nailed down. However, if you’ve been canning for any sort of time you’ll know that it’s always an evolving process. We’re always trying to find a way to make the process better and quicker. 

What tips and tricks have made your canning process easier? Tell us in the comments so we can use them too!