Why are my tomatoes splitting?

You have been dreaming of picking that fresh, flavorful fruit, and now there is that sad ring all around it. You worked so hard, doing all the right things… Your tomatoes are almost red and they split!?!

First off, don’t grow discouraged. Growing your own food can be a challenge with huge rewards and sometimes setbacks.

Why are your tomatoes splitting? Most likely, it has to do with watering.

If there was a dry spell, followed with heavy rains, it is possible that the inside of the tomato grew faster than its skin and then split.

Ways to avoid it in the future:

1- Water as consistently as possible- try to avoid big fluctuations.

2- Mulch around the roots to keep moisture more evenly. I used a leaf compost this year and I really liked how it performed.

3- (For next year) Plant many different varieties AND sizes of tomatoes! Here are a few varieties that will be more crack resistant: Celebrity, Arkansas Traveler, Rutgers, Beefmaster, Pink Girl, etc. I have found that my Roma tomatoes are the least susceptible to cracking.

Cracked tomatoes can be safe to eat as long as the crack “healed” and does not let disease come in the fruit.

Don’t let setbacks keep you away from the garden! Keep growing!