Sometimes, the most difficult part of growing tomatoes is harvesting them. Some people just hate to pluck them from their natural spot. Others simply aren’t sure when the “perfect” time to pluck them from the vine is.
Their fear isn’t without foundation. After all, fruit that is fully vine-ripened provides you with a fuller flavor than fruit picked early and allowed to ripen in your house somewhere.
On the other hand, if you pick some tomatoes, especially the cherry variety, too late, they’re prone to cracking.
So what’s a novice farmer to do? For one thing, know that once temperatures in the day dip below 60 degrees, your fruit will refuse to ripen on the vine. If bad comes to worse, the temperature is your perfect signal that it’s time to bring all the mature fruits inside.