Topic: Gardener's Delight: splitting

[Squashfan]

Congrats, greyhound, on your new arrival!
Splitting: aurora splitting badly, all others fine and cherry toms happy. I have been erratic in watering, I admit...

[glow777]

This post answers a few questions - had thought I was going mad.

I eat any split GD toms as I pick them and put the good 'uns in the fridge but the kids have been moaning about split toms. Never thought they could split after picking

[Barnowl]

My Mum, fount of all wisdom etc etc, says it's too much water arriving after they've started to ripen.

I grew nine varieties this year (see pic) and all have some split fruit apart from the Shirleys.



Perhaps if one picked a whole truss the toms would  lose their access to water but continue to ripen?

[calendula]

I'd go with the sudden intake of water + over watering ('tis possible at this time of year because we do it automatically and don't always think about the discreet climate changes) - the recent heavy rains have caused my early plums to split and fall really badly, so almost any  fruit is at risk

[Mrs Ava]

None of mine have split, but mine are grown in the dry with no water, undercover, where they have to go down down, deeper and down to find their water.  However, that said, I assume that splitting skins in only cosmetic rather than affecting taste etc.  Also I guess they don't store as long.....

[PakChoi]

I'd read somewhere that GD are prone to splitting, but I stuck with them as they are delicious.  Splitting has been driving me mad this year generally - most maddeningly on black russians which are huge, but it is reassuring to know it is not just me.

The GDs are only splitting when ripe, so it is just a case of picking and eating every day, if you can.   And they all cook fine so long as they aren't left long enough to get mould.

[supersprout]

Super pics barnowl, those look gorgeous! Especially idyll - slightly black?
I'm harvesting every second day now - quick enough to catch the split ones before the rot sets in.
This is what a typical tom harvest looks like - not quite as show-worthy lol :-[
(squishers note: this quantity = just over 2 litres of passata) ;)

[Barnowl]

That really is a harvest - impressive!

[Rosyred]

Ripe and alot of rain. Mine did it type Moneymaker.