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The 6 Tomato Ripening Stages: A Home Gardener’s Guide

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Posted 7.27.25

Tomatoes don’t turn red overnight. They ripen in steps.

When you understand the 6 tomato ripening stages, you can …

• Harvest smart: You don’t need to leave tomatoes on the vine to ripen completely. Picking at the breaker or turning stage reduces loss from animals, insects, or rot.
• Maximize flavor: Harvesting at the pink or light red stage lets you control ripening indoors, ensuring optimal taste.
• Encourage production: Picking ripe or nearly ripe tomatoes signals the plant to keep producing fruit.

Here’s the dirt.

The 6 tomato ripening stages

According to the USDA, tomatoes ripen through six distinct stages:

1. Green Stage

• Appearance: The entire fruit is green.
• Inside: Gel formation hasn’t occurred.
• Why it matters: It’s too early to harvest tomatoes at the green stage unless you’re growing to make fried green tomatoes. The fruit does not yet have flavor.

2. Breaker Stage

• Appearance: <10% of the tomato shows a pink, red, or yellow blush.
• Why it matters: The breaker stage is a critical turning point. The tomato is physiologically mature and will ripen off the vine. Picking now avoids pest damage and splitting.

3. Turning Stage

• Appearance: 10–30% of the tomato is pink, red, or yellow.
• Why it matters: The turning stage is ideal for picking if you're worried about birds, pests, or bad weather. Your fruit will continue to ripen indoors with good flavor development.

4. Pink Stage

• Appearance: 30–60% of the tomato has turned color.
• Why it matters: The tomato is sweetening and softening. Pick it now for a balance of shelf life and flavor.

5. Light Red Stage

• Appearance: 60–90% of the fruit is red or final color.
• Why it matters: Your tomato is nearly fully ripe. Pick now if you're harvesting for fresh use in 1–2 days.

6. Red (Fully Ripe) Stage

• Appearance: 90–100% of the tomato is the final color.
• Why it matters: A fully ripe tomato offers the best flavor and juiciness, but it’s got a shorter shelf life. If you wait one second longer, you risk of damage or cracking while it’s still on the vine.

Gardening tip: Tomatoes continue to ripen after picking because of ethylene, a natural plant hormone. You can speed up ripening indoors by storing them in a paper bag or near bananas.

Tomato ripening stages FAQs

Q. How long does a tomato stay at the green stage?

A tomato can remain at the green stage for 20 to 30 days after pollination, depending on the variety and growing conditions.

• Variety: Some types, like paste tomatoes, naturally take longer to ripen.
• Temperatures: Cool weather (below 50°F / 10°C) slows ripening dramatically. Tomatoes may stay green longer in early spring or late fall.
• Sunlight: Low light levels can delay the transition out of the green stage.
• Nutrients: Too much nitrogen can keep tomatoes in a vegetative (leafy) state longer.
• Productivity: Plants with too many fruits may ripen them more slowly.

Q. What is the tomato breaker stage?

The "breaker" stage is the phase of just before the tomato begins to change color from green to its final ripened color (usually red, but it depends on the variety).

At the breaker stage, the tomato's green color starts to fade, and the fruit begins to soften slightly. This is a critical stage for harvesting if you want to store tomatoes for later ripening or for shipping purposes, because tomatoes can continue to ripen after being picked.

Once the fruit reaches the breaker stage, it usually takes about 7–14 days to reach full ripeness, either on or off the vine.

Q. What month do tomatoes ripen?

Your tomatoes ripen depending on your location, when they were planted, and the variety of tomato. Typically, tomatoes are ready to harvest 50–85 days after transplanting.

• Early-season varieties: 50–60 days (in North America, this means June or early July)
• Mid-season: 60–75 days (in North America, this means July or August)
• Late-season: 75–85 days (in North America, this means August or September)

Gardening tip: To extend your harvest window, stagger planting every few weeks in spring or grow early, mid, and late-season tomato varieties together.

Q. Why is it taking so long for my tomatoes to turn red?

If your tomatoes are taking a long time to turn red, you’re not alone—it’s a common frustration for home gardeners. Here’s what may be happening.

• Extreme temperatures: Tomatoes ripen best between 70°F and 85°F (21–29°C). Above 85–90°F (29–32°C), ripening slows or stops. The plant may stay healthy, but tomatoes won’t turn red. Below 50°F (10°C), ripening is also delayed. Gardening tip: Provide afternoon shade in extreme heat or wait out a cold snap. Tomatoes will ripen when temps return to ideal.
• Slow-ripening varieties: Some heirlooms and large beefsteak types take 80–90 days to mature and ripen fully. Cherry or early types ripen faster. Gardening tip: Check your seed packet or plant label to confirm the variety’s days to maturity.
• Low sun: Tomatoes need at least 6–8 hours of direct sun per day to ripen well. Gardening tip: If your plant is shaded, try trimming nearby plants or staking the tomato higher for more sun exposure.
• Too much fruit: When the plant is loaded with fruit, ripening slows because it's using energy to support all of them. Gardening tip: Pinch off new flowers and prune small or misshapen fruit to help existing tomatoes ripen faster.
• Too much nitrogen fertilizer: High nitrogen promotes leafy growth, not fruit ripening. Gardening tip: Switch to a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in potassium (like 5-10-10) during the fruiting stage.

Q. How long after a tomato turns red do you pick it?

You should pick a tomato within 3 to 7 days after it turns fully red (or its mature color, such as yellow, orange, or purple depending on the variety). After that, the fruit will become mushy, overripe, split, or become a snack for birds and pests.

But you needn’t wait until your tomato is fully red to pick it. You can harvest tomatoes at the breaker stage (when they just start to blush red) and ripen them indoors. This protects them from cracking, pests, and sunscald. And early picking doesn’t affect the tomato’s flavor if it’s stored at room temperature and away from the sunlight.

Q. What are the cherry tomato ripening stages?

Cherry tomato ripening stages are the same as for other types of tomatoes – but since they are smaller, they ripen faster. A cherry tomato moves from breaker to fully red: about 5–7 days, depending on temperature and sunlight. All told, a green cherry tomato is ready to pick and eat (green stage to red stage) 20–30 days after fruit sets.

Gardening tip: Because cherry tomatoes ripen quickly and are small, they can go from perfectly ripe to overripe in just a day or two, especially in hot weather. Check plants daily during peak season.

Q. What are the Roma tomato ripening stages?

Roma tomatoes follow the same general ripening stages as other tomato varieties, but they often take slightly longer than to ripen fully due to their thicker flesh and lower moisture content.

On the plus side, Roma tomatoes tend to ripen more uniformly than beefsteak types.

Gardening tip: Harvest Romas at the breaker stage in extreme heat to prevent cracking. And check plants daily once they start to turn, because Romas can go from perfect to mushy very quickly.

Quick tips about the tomato ripening stages timeline

• Total time from fruit set to full ripeness: ~25–35 days (varies by variety and weather)
• Hot weather (above 85–90°F) can slow ripening or cause sunscald
• Cool weather (below 50°F) can also delay color development

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