compo wrote:
Hi gang,

We have had a dreadful summer in the far north of Scotland, a bad
depression in the Norwegian sea causing cool northerly winds and low
cloud throughout July and some of August. As a result the tomatoes in
my polytunnel are reluctant to ripen.

How can I encourage the hard green fruits to ripen on the vine at this
late stage of summer?


Commercial growers use acetylene gas which is also given off
by ripening fruit, bananas especially. However acetylene gas
is heavier than air. It settles on the floor of the greenhouses
and is recirculated with pumps in commercial situations I believe.
Which is o.k if you put a few toms in a plasic bag with a
ripening banana on top, but more difficult in a polytunnel
situation. You could possibly try bagging up the trusses as
they are on the vines, with a banana enclosed and shaking
it around to promote circulation of the acetylene now and
again, which would otherwise stay at the bottom of the bag.
Assuming the compostion of the air inside the bag wasn't
affected by the trusses exhaling at least.


michael adams

....

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Cheers,
Compo - Nothing ventured, nothing failed. (Ian Dury)