can you leave them growing where they are until the absolute max' of the season? and then i ahve heard folk over your way pull the whole bush and hang it roots up with the fruit on they say the fruit will still ripen like that.

with the brandy wines maybe too late in the season to expect much more than what you have so just let them be maybe?

len

Here is Tasmania we also have a short summer so I try to get a head start by beginning early in a greenhouse after raising seeds in my living room! I can then planting out in Late October/early November but by March it is getting cool again. I guess the opposite 6 months would be similar in the North Hemisphere.

At the end of season, I bring any partially ripened fruit indoors where I store at room temperature and use them for processing or seed saving as they ripen this way. I grow plants for local growers who all like to get started early so get feedback from them and am trying to categorise them into short, medium and long period growers to stagger my growing because space is a problem. Seasonal differences occur that affect ripening. 2006 was really bad ripening year for us. However some tomaties have proven reasonably short period and those that did do well last year and have been re-ordered were: Amish Paste.Anna Russian.Black Early,Aunty Ruby's German Green.Black Russian.Coramandel Red.Bloody Butcher. Cherokee Chocolate. Cherokeee Purple. Debarao.Druzba. Ida GOld. Imur Prior Beta. Sub Arctic Plenty ( developed in Canada)Kotlas, SIlvery Fir Tree ( my earliest) Striped Turkish Monastery. That's just a few. Some vary by a week other by a month. I'd check the growing period and if you can get it under 80 days you should do OK. Remember though that the gorwing period is from planting out to harvest, not from seed to harvest - that's a bit optimistic!

I know this is a bit late, only just spotted it, but let us know how you fared.