"Harold Walker" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
AFAIK thay are tomatoes allowed to ripen naturally, most tomatoes in
the shops are picked green, then artificially ripened when they arrive
in the UK. They certainly do ahve a much nicer taste that the
equivalent loose ones.

Mike
I find this interesting....how long have they been imported this way in
the UK...for many years on the western edges of the big puddle tomatoes
have been shipped from Florida to the north via a lorry filled with
ethylene gas...by the time they arrive up north they too have been
converted from green to red...taste wis would just as soon eat cardboard.
We too now have the 'vine ripened' ones. While better than the lorry
ripened ones they are still far from the local or home grown
jobbies....but not worth the asking price....H

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I agree with all you say. I knew that many years ago bananas were ripened
in ship-transit by filling the holds with what I vaguely remember was,
perhaps, ethyline.
As far as my knowledge is competent I have always thought that some breeds
of tomatoes grow racemes of tomatoes on single-shoot stems which have the
tomatoes going down the stems singly, just like the more expensive ones sold
wrapped in a cardboard carton, each having a cellophane lid to display the
tomatoes, - (I have a packet in my fridge as I write,) -
On some of the other tomato plants I have grown the stem splits and splays
_(or "sprays") out and the tomatoes grow, each on its own, but clustered
together in a bunch.
On another tack, - correct me if I am wrong, but tomatoes will, - if left to
grow on themselves, - the main stem will divide and the plant grows and
forms itelf into a bush shape.
I would appreciate a professional opinion.
Doug.

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