There are varieties that are prone to splitting, usually in concentric circles or vertically. If a variety has fruits that split when none of the others are, I say it’s time to write those off your grow list.
But any variety can split if they are watered heavily or if there is a sudden run on heavy rains after a period of dry conditions.
If such a condition has occurred, it’s important to get out there as soon as it’s light enough in the morning and bring any fruits that have split inside, before the insects and wildlife have a chance to discover them. If left in the heat of the day for even a few hours, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to salvage them. If the damage had occurred much earlier, overnight pests like slugs, earwigs, pillbugs, sow bugs, caterpillars, etc. as well as wildlife marauders may have already discovered them, and those will be very difficult to salvage at all.
It’s particularly disappointing if the fruits have split before they are ripe, but as long as they have blushed with some color, they might still be ripened in the house.
I wash the fruits by gently rinsing several changes of bucket of tepid water.
Never plunge hot dry tomatoes in cold water — whole ones will immediately split. But if that happens, try following the procedure below.
Fruits that have only skin-deep splits have very high chances of recovery. Fruits that have split into the flesh below don’t always make it to fully ripe stage. And fruits that have split all the way into the gel/seed chamber can’t be kept for long, so it’s best to cook with them — maybe make fried “green”/blushed tomatoes.
Best method I have found is to completely wrap them in layers of paper towel + paper napkin. Place them in well aerated location on the counter (baker’s cooling rack lined with kitchen towels) or lined hanging produce basket. Tuck the wrapped corner of the napkin/paper towel under the stem end to hold in place.
Unwrap every day and check on them for optimum level of ripeness vs. ability to last before spoiling.
Top-Left and Top-Right were harvested this morning. I had to water heavily and was hoping to harvest before they split, but they did.
The one on the left has what I call “skin-deep split” and will likely heal over and recover like the one from yesterday on Bottom-Left.
The split on the one on the right has gouged into the flesh. This will be a tricky one.
- Tomatoes that have split
The one on Bottom-right is an example of split fruit that should have been eaten yesterday. I was able to cut out one segment that had been affected and the rest was good, but you can see it looks iffy.
I usually cut away the scar in a V-shaped strip. Always use very sharp fruit knife for tomatoes. You should be able to press the sharp blade against the skin and have it slip right in. If the skin just gets pressed down without being cut, and you have to poke the pointed end in first to start the cut, it’s time to sharpen your knife.
Sometimes, and this one included, there are hidden damage inside — In my garden, it’s usually one or two tomato pinworms that had burrowed into the pithy core that cause accelerated spoilage.