Jean has asked if Victoria plums will ripen off the tree.  She wants to pick them before the wasps ruin the crop.

TopVeg has replied:

Victoria plums will ripen a little off the tree – if kept at room temperature. Ripe bananas in amongst them will help speed the process.

Nothing can beat a plum ripened on the tree – but wasps seem to get the plums just before they are ripe enough – so they always beat me to it.

Better to pick the plums and save them.

Have you tried enviromesh? It depends on the size of your tree – but if you can totally enclose the tree, or part of it, in enviromesh the wasps will be kept off.

Reducing the wasps will also help. Try to track down the nest by following the wasps home. They often nest quite close to plum trees. Once the nest is discovered, it can be eliminated. Jam jar traps full of sweet liquid can be covered with paper. Then a hole in the paper will let the wasps in, but not out. There are various commercial versions of this. Lakeland have one at http://www.lakeland.co.uk/2851/Wasp-Catcher?src=gpgar.