Hi, I am wondering if anyone knows what can cause quarter-sized, or slightly larger, green areas on a tomato to remain green long after the rest of the tomato has ripened. The spots I am seeing are not on the top of the tomato, but the side. I finally picked one after concluding that the green area was never going to ripen, and cutting it open found that the area underneath it simply seemed under-ripened, too-- no rotting, no squishiness. Any ideas? Heather
My guess is green shoulders: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/GARDEN/02949.html Green/yellow shoulders develop on ripening fruit, possibly due to high temperatures. Chlorophyll in this area is slow to break down and results in a patch that remains green or turns yellow but not red. This problem may affect the entire shoulder or only a small, irregular patch. Shade the plant and take other precautions to reduce the fruit's exposure to the sun.
Thanks. That does sound like it, and they do get a lot of sun. I'd read about green shoulders on a different website, but it made it sound like it only happened around the stem of the tomato. At least it isn't toxic!
