As the growing season winds down in fall, it’s hard to see those green tomatoes on the vine that won’t have a chance to turn red before first frost. Fortunately, ripening green tomatoes indoors off the vine is actually possible and easy to do.

There are also great uses for green tomatoes too, so in gardening tradition, nothing need go to waste!

How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Off the Vine

Vine ripened tomatoes in full sun are going to have the best, richest and sweetest flavor. However, you can ripen green tomatoes off the vine, and they will still taste good and stretch your garden fresh tomato enjoyment

There are many approaches to ripening tomatoes, and here are a few, mostly anecdotal contributions from GardensAll readers on what they do that works for them.

Please share yours and we’d be glad to add it here.

Methods for Ripening Tomatoes Indoors off the Vine

1. Place on a windowsill exposed to light
2. Place in paper bag with a banana peel
3. Pull up entire plant and hang it upside down
4. Wrap tomatoes in newspaper and store in a box

Of the tips above, we’ve only tried ripening green tomatoes in a bright eastern facing garden window. Those other methods listed above are shared by others who find them to work well.

1. Ripen in a Bright Window

We ripened green tomatoes placed singly on the shelf as well as together in a container as pictured above. Both ways seem to work equally well. The garden window in our kitchen is further used for ripening all of our fruits and veggies, and we really like it.

2. Paper Bag Method for Ripening Green Tomatoes

Perhaps one of the most well-known methods, most people go by the paper bag method, placed in a warm location. The principle is that keeping the tomatoes and together, generates more ethylene, which stimulates ripening. For this reason, many also recommend adding a ripe apple or banana to further increase the ethylene-ripening benefits.

3. Ripening Green Tomatoes by Hanging Tomato Plant Upside Down

Pull the entire tomato plant from the ground, shake off soil, then hang upside down. Hang clothes line in a place with good airflow and out of direct sunlight, such as a carport, or screened porch. Some say this method produces better flavored results. We haven’t tried it yet, but plan to.

4. Ripen Tomatoes Indoors Wrapped in Newspaper

Some people choose this method, and even go so far as to wrap each tomato individually. However, there is no side-by-side study showing the efficacy of this method that we have found. This approach seems like a lot of extra effort, plus really hard to monitor progress of the green tomatoes turning red progress, so it’s our least favorite.

Plus… newspaper isn’t typically in every household these days!

Ways to Use Green Tomatoes

But for those stubborn to ripen, there are many other uses for green tomatoes that you may enjoy. An all-time favorite is fried green tomatoes, and also salsa verde or green tomato relish.

What’s Your Favorite Method for Ripening Green Tomatoes Indoors?

We’d love to hear your perspective on how to ripen green tomatoes, and if you’ve tried more than one way, which one worked best for you.