If you’re anything like us, you’ve noticed your tomatoes splitting in the recent weeks. It’s frustrating to see a great looking, up and coming tomato only to come back later to find that it’s all split open. Now there’s good news and bad news… the good news is that it probably isn’t your fault that your tomatoes are splitting and it’s no fault of a garden pest either. The bad news is that there’s probably not too much you can do about it.
“So if it’s not me and it’s not a pest, what could it possibly be?”
The answer is actually water.
“Water?!”
Yes, water.
Splitting happens in tomatoes when there is a heavy fluctuation in water intake. If you’ve happened to notice that your tomatoes often split after a big storm or heavy rain week, that is no coincidence. When a tomato plant receives an excess amount of water compared to its typical intake, the fruit can actually grow faster than the outer skin and this is what causes the splits that you see.
“Ahh okay, well is it safe to eat?”
This depends. Most often, the cracks expose the inner fruit to pests and will create rot (so no, not really). However, if the cracks do not expose the interior of the fruit, then you may be cautious with it and can potentially still use it. If it is close to being ripe, you’re probably better off picking it now.
“So is there anything I can do to prevent this?”
In cases of rain like we’ve seen this July, the answer is most likely no. Although, there are some things that you can do to potentially lessen the damage.
These being:
- Water regularly. Having your plants on a watering schedule will ensure that they are receiving water consistently and thus will be less likely to overproduce as greatly.
- Mulch around your plants. This will help keep the soil around your plants consistently moist.
- Ensure that your soil has good drainage. This prevents your garden bed from having to contain and deal with the entirety of large surges of water.
- Pick your tomatoes early. You can place them by a window indoors to continue to ripen. An added benefit of this technique is that you will also prevent pests like chipmunks and squirrels from eating the fruits of your labor.
We hope this helped you gain some insight on what’s going on in your garden this month. How are your other plants doing? Let us know in the comments. Happy gardening!