Color is a good indicator. When the Yellow Pear turn completely yellow, that is

probably the optimum time. If you leave them on too long, they will start to
develop
a brownish cast, which is a sign of over ripeness. The red tomatoes behave
differently depending on variety. Some will turn completely red or purple,
while others stubbornly won't change color, close to the stem. I will give
these later tomatoes a few days of sun to completely color up, but if they start
showing signs of
over softness, I pick them anyways. The longer you can keep them on the vine
without spoiling, the sweeter they become. Once you sample taste them, you can
associate color with amount of ripeness.

Sherwin D.



wrote:

Hi, We now have three ripening clusters of Stupice tomatoes, which
appear
like cherry tomatoes about 1 1/4" diameter, even though they are not
classified as such. Also a ripening Beam's Yellow Pear tomato which
appears
¾" long. How long should they remain ripe-on-the-vine for optimum
size and taste? Is the best time to pick after a full day of sun?
Regards, Phil