Why Are My Tomatoes Splitting?

by Mark Williams
(Western MA)

My vegetable garden is in western MA and we are having a great tomato year. I have planted several different varieties of "cherry" tomatoes.

We are picking them like they are going out of fashion..however so many of them are split...or split very soon after we pick them.

I am sure we can eat them but they don't store well. What is happening? How can I stop this?
Thank You,

Mark "Red Thumb"

ANSWER:

Many varieties of cherry tomatoes tend to split before and even after they are picked. Especially if you have watered the plants a lot, and the tomatoes are very ripe.

It helps to pick them before they are too ripe. But as one plant can have thousands of tomatoes, this can be difficult! We try to eat the most ripe first, but even that doesn't always work.

Some varieties of cherry tomatoes are less prone to splitting. But these varieties have tougher skin, so that can be a bit of a trade-off.

You might want to experiment next year with growing several varieties, including some that have stronger skins. I have heard that the Sun Sugar variety is much less prone to splitting. But I haven't tried it yet!