HOW TO MAKE A TOMATO RIPENING SCREEN

Many times, due to excessive bugs or overly wet conditions in our garden, we harvest some of our tomatoes early before they are fully ripe.  However, because we plant so many tomato plants, generally around 50-70, that means we have a lot of tomatoes coming in at one time.  This can be a problem.  If we try to put all of them inside the kitchen in baskets, little gnats soon congregate and cause a terrible disturbance, like getting into our faces and other foods.  And, they take up huge amounts of room. 

One day, I finally had enough.   No more gnats.  No more tomatoes all over my kitchen.  I came up with the idea of making a tomato ripening screen.  Here is how I did it:

You will need:

4 pieces of lumber about 1” x 4” x 4 ft long or according to your need  (I used two boards at 3 feet long and two at 4 feet long.)
4 eye bolts with nuts - approximately 2 to 3 inches long
20 good wood screws – 1-1/2 inches in length
Screw driver
Drill
Window screen (plastic is easiest), measure for your needs
20 ft of strong nylon cord or other strong cord to hold up the screen filled with tomatoes.  They are heavy.

1. Begin with the 4 pieces of lumber.  Depending on the size frame you desire, cut the board as shown in the photos above.  The boards I used are 3 and 4 feet long, two of each. 

2. I did not make a traditional “picture frame” out of these boards by using a mitered corner, but screwed the ends together, one on top of the other.  See photo.  Be sure to use screws as nails do not hold up as long.  They have a tendency to loosen over time.  The Screen in the photos above is 18 years old.

3. I used plastic screen instead of metal.  It was easier to work with and cleans nicely.  I measured the screen to fit the opening in the frame and allowed three inches extra on each side.  This "extra" was used to fold over several times before stapling the screen in place.  If you have the time and some small wood strips, you can run a piece over the edges of the screen to hold them in place, using screws instead of staples.  I used a basic staple gun for fastening the screen to the boards. 

4. I drilled a hole in the center of each end, right through the top of the boards.  Then I inserted an eye bolt through these and placed a nut on the end. 

5. I then took four pieces of thick nylon cording about 5 feet long and tied one to each eye bolt.  You can make this length according to your need.  The tomato ripening screen was now ready to be hung and tomatoes placed on it.

Be sure to place this Screen in a safe place, away from critters.  Ours is hanging in the stationary Succah in our yard.  However, we had to put up some three-foot high plastic fencing around the perimeter of the Succah to keep chickens out.  They love tomatoes!

This Screen can also be used to dry herbs.  We place mint and basil on it.  Don’t put a lot of herbs on the Screen at one time as there might be too much moisture held inside the greenery and mold growth could occur.

Enjoy your garden!  And, your kitchen!

Kathie Palladino
www.kitchen2.com