If you can leave them on the plant, do, for the better flavour and texture and also any protection you can give them from buffeting winds and rain will help to maintain the quality.

Years ago now I got a lot of good tomatoes from some late plantings simply by using corugated plastic sheets and a few bits of wood to hold them together to make an arched cover with half sheets at the ends. The temperature around them was increased, the wind and rain kept off and the only downside was the watering.

I'm a bit surprised after the long hot summer we have had here in the UK - I'm in Poole, Dorset - that ripening is a problem.

I have been thinking I should start to grow more as soon as I have more time.

Anne