cracked cherry tomatos

[sugarfree]

Hi all.

Just wondering if anyone got any idea of why my cherry tomatos cracked as they gets ripe? some of them cracked while still in orange stage of color. Kinda frustrating that most of them have to be thrown out in the bin.

I live in southern hemisphere (NZ to be precise), and this is the month when tomatos starts to get ripe.

I'm thinking of birds, but it doesn't look like it.

thanks.

[TZ -OH6]

Fluctuating soil moisture is the main cause of fruit cracking. If rain is expected pick everything with any color showing and let them ripen inside.

[sugarfree]

Fluctuating soil moisture is the main cause of fruit cracking.

...


didn't know that.... thx for the info.

it is summer down here, and I sort of deep water the plant every 2 or 3 days. if its raining then I wont be bothered...

I guess I hav to water them more often.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, tomatoes split or crack due to inconsistent watering. If the tomatoes dry out, the skin hardens up. Then when a bunch of water comes at once, the tomato swells up faster than the skin can expand, leading to cracks/ splits.

[applestar]

Some tomato varieties are more susceptible to cracking. You may be growing one that will crack no matter what. Picking early and not counting on them getting red until ripe on the vine is the only recourse for those varieties.

I have this volunteer cherry tomato that comes up every year in different parts of the garden and it will split its sides at the least excuse. They ARE very juicy and yum, however.

I have two other varieties (actually not cherries -- one is a grape and the other is Principe Borghese) that I plant intentionally that are NEVER picked until they are "can't get any redder RED". One is very very sweet and the other is full of flavor.

[Halfway]

It seems my "Gardner's Delight" cracked much more than any other variety to include those planted in the same raised beds.

I'm gonna let that variety fall by the wayside this year.

[applestar]

Oh I agree with marlin gardener. The trick with them is to regularly check on them, especially early in the morning before the bugs spot the cracked ones. That way, humans can still enjoy them. After that, depending on their condition, I might cook them quickly and lightly sauteed like omelette or Prima Vera and salsa, or thoroughly cooked down as in tomato sauce. Really questionable ones can go in the compost pile so nothing is wasted.

If I had chickens, I would share with them too!

[Halfway]

We did salvage quite a few of our cracked maters, but this last year was a bear. Crack resistant varieties are getting my attention.