Back in Việt Nam I could pick the ripe ones in the market, but since I moved to South Korea, they are hard as rocks. I often have to buy tomatoes a week or two in advance and wonder about your situation. Some are too green and refuse to ripen even after a month.
Cherry tomatoes are still good, though not suitable for finer sauces that require peeling.
Not sure what things are like in Korea but here in California you can only get good ripe tomatoes at local farmers markets. And even then it’s only some producers. Good, ripe tomatoes are perishable and difficult to transport so the supermarket model can’t supply them.
So try buying direct from farmers. Or grow your own if you can find some space!
Do I need to wait until fall/spring to start?
Depends on your climate. Korea gets cold in winter, right? Tomatoes like warm weather so it may be a bit late at this point to start them but it could be worth a try. You’ll want to buy plants instead of starting with seeds to get a head start on growing.
Definitely don’t plant in fall unless it’s a fully tropical area. They will die from the cold before they grow enough to produce fruit.
If you’re new to gardening, cherry tomatoes are easier than bigger slicer tomatoes. But you could try both of you have space.
Thanks for the advises!