Tomatoes that are homegrown not only taste delicious but they should also look attractive to eat. Having a split in the skin does not affect taste but it definitely does spoil the appearance.
Many UK gardeners are experiencing this issue as the tomato harvesting season comes up.
Ravinder Romany shared a picture of her cracked tomatoes, asking for some green-fingered advice: “Please could I have some advice with my tomato plant? The tomatoes are ripening but splitting.
“I’ve had to pick a few off their vines this morning. Not sure what’s happening here and if I can do anything to prevent the rest. Thank you.”
Fellow gardening enthusiasts quickly chimed in, identifying the issue as “irregular watering”. Ronan Montasser explained: “Irregular watering. So when they don’t get enough water the amount of water in the fruit reduces along with the skin of the tomato.”
Wendy Lockett added to the conversation: “Inconsistent watering does this. I water mine every day twice if it’s hot.”
Carole Mellett provided a straight-to-the-point solution: “It’s essential to water them every day. If they dry out in between, they will split.”
Gardeners need to provide a regular supply of supply of water without water-logging the plants if they don’t want their fruit splitting.
If gardeners are giving their tomato plants the right amount of water, this will result in “bigger and tastier fruit”, claim the experts at A Way To Garden.
For those looking to keep their tomatoes intact, seasoned gardeners suggested that the best bet is to pluck them from the vine sooner rather than later and let them ripen indoors to evade the dreaded split.
Jenna Campbell advised: “You can harvest when they’re green, they’ll still go red and taste great”.
Nikita Kidd suggested: “Remove them before they are fully ripe and let them ripen indoors.”
Lastly, Nancy Wilson recommended: “The best way to avoid this is to pick them while they’re still green and ripen them indoors using a banana.”
Nipping tomatoes in the bud not only prevents unsightly cracks but also lets gardeners take charge of when their fruit turns that juicy red.
Left to themselves, tomatoes will happily ripen on any kitchen countertop, though a nifty trick can hasten things along just pop them into a bag or container with a banana.
As bananas emit ethylene, a hormone that prompts fruit to ripen, this little yellow helper can speed the reddening right up.
