Squash and tomatoes bloomed and made, but did not ripen?

Question

I’m in South Texas and planted summer squash seeds and cherry tomato plants on February 17th. They both thrived until I had watered them with a soaker, then we got two back to back 1.5″ rains. Then a high wind event. They made fruit! But it has been on the vines for almost 4 weeks now and is not ripening. The squash seems moldy, the tomatoes look okay. But they scare me. For now I will be pulling out everything and adding soil amendment to the garden for things to come. I just don’t trust something that usually takes 3-4 days to ripen to take 3-4 weeks. Any idea if anything I have mentioned is the cause, or could it be something else? Thanks for listening!

Answer 1

Some varieties take longer to ripen than others, but if yours never seem to be ripening, it is most likely be a weather issue. Lack of sun or excessively low temperatures can cause both tomatoes and squash to take longer to ripen, and with tomatoes, very hot temperatures can also cause lack of ripening. If you've been having a lot of rain recently, the plants may just not have recieved enough sun. It also depends on what climate your varieties are adapted to- they will ripen best if they get the weather conditions they expect from their home climate.

You could try bringing the fruit indoors- tomatoes will ripen indoors if you leave them on the vine. Summer squash may ripen somewhat indoors.