Vegetables and Fruits That Ripen After Picking

Fruit can be a bit persnickety. It isn’t always easy to know when to harvest at its peak. To confuse matters, some fruit continues to ripen off the tree and other fruit doesn’t. For instance, do pineapples ripen after picking? How about melons? Do watermelons ripen after picking? Read on to learn about fruit that ripens after picking. 

Will Tomatoes Ripen if Picked Green? 

Tomatoes are a conundrum. For one thing, they are often used as a vegetable but are actually a fruit. While this fruit can be eaten when green it is most often used when the skin turns red and the flesh inside is sweet and juicy. 

It isn’t always feasible to harvest at tomatoes' peak ripeness. In this case, will they ripen after picking? The answer is yes.

To hasten ripening simply either put the fruit into a paper bag with a ripe apple, or leave it on the counter with a banana nearby. Both release ethene (or ethylene) gas, which breaks down cell walls and converts starch to sugar. 

Additional Fruit that Ripens after Picking

Will strawberries ripen after picking? How about peaches? Will peaches ripen after picking? Strawberries do not ripen after picking, while peaches do. The following fruit ripens after picking: 

Apricot, avocado, banana, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, nectarine, mango, papaya, pear, plantain, and plum. 

These fruits will not ripen after picking:

Apples, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, citrus, grapes, pineapples, pomegranate, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon.