Marianne's Response
Green tomatoes and a lazy fig tree
HI, Marianne, I’d like answers to two questions if I may. I read somewhere (probably your column) the formula for ripening pinkish tomatoes at the end of the season but I forgot. Can you please jog my memory? Also, I have a 23 old fig tree that I water regularly. It used to produce a great crop, but the last two years has produced only one or two figs. It’s quite bushy. Will it help to trim it back radically or is it just past its prime and ready to retire and be replaced? Thank you.
Posted by Ronsung on August 31, 2020
Marianne's Response
Fig trees can live to be 200 years old so old age is not the cause of a poor harvest. The most common reasons for lack of figs is the tree is too young or too little or too much water. A high nitrogen fertilizer such as one used on the lawn could also cause foliage but no fruit. I would trim it back hard next spring and make sure lawn food is kept away from the roots. As for your tomatoes, pick when you see a dark green star on the blossom end and store in cool, dry spot without letting them touch one another. Tomatoes do not need sunlight to ripen after harvest if they are at the green star stage of development. You can also upright the entire plant and hang from rafter of a garage or shed and fruit still hanging on the plant will ripen over time. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti