Tomato colour and disappearing runner beans

[woolybanana]

A great crop of tomatoes comin in, all shapes and colours (on purpose), BUT, why is it that commercial ones are consistently much redder? Not that it makes any difference, just curious.

Now, runner beans, who or what is eating the baby ones and stripping the leaves, not even dropping anything on the ground? Feels like birds somehow but any other thoughts welcome, please.

[Patf]

My 'runner' beans have turned out to be dwarf beans and are currently nearly swamped with weeds.

But for yours, Wooly, the answer is to cover the plants with netting, the soft green kind with fine mesh. You can buy it cheaply at any garden centre.

I don't know about tomato colour - it's supposed to depend partly on amount of sunshine. I haven't grown any this year.

[Patf]

This thread mentions the ripening of tomatoes - if you can understand it:

https://www.rustica.fr/forum-jardinage/potager-saison-2017-t18251.html

I understand a bit , but not all.

[Gardengirl]

Removing leaves to let more light in helps with ripening. My tomatoes were always nicely red, almost always grew bio Gardener's Delight.

[andyh4]

Once picked, leave your tomatoes next to some ripe bananas ( no seriously not the wooly ones, the genuine bendy yellow ones).

Bananas give off ethylene gas which ripens fruits - toms included.

Commercial producers (some at least) use the gas supplied in cylinders

EDIT: Also works on under ripe avacado

[johnnyboy]

Try cutting back on the watering as well, I have reduced the amount to half of normal, but kept the time the same.

Johnnyboy