Do everyone else's GDs split on the plant?
No way can my little devils complain of erratic watering. >:( Is it just inevitable? It happens every year and I am feeling like not growing them again. :-\
I have always thought it due to a sudden water intake. I will be interested to know if there is another reason, as I have encountered the same on some of my outdoor tomatoes (various varieties).
Do you think the heat might have hardened the skins a bit early?
someone gave me a plant and mine split even after they have been in the dish overnight
All my Harbinger have split this year.
A lot of my cherry toms have split - larger toms ok and tumbler in pots mostly ok. I'm sure its heavy rain causing it - no matter how well watered the amount of rain we are getting up north will always cause splitting.
Some of my cherries are starting to split now -they are outdoors on my plot, have not had any additional watering and I'm sure that its due to finally getting a reasonable about of the wet stuff!
With cherry tomatoes, I think it is better to pick before you water. From experience, if you water then pick, some of the tomatoes have split.
valmarg
Two of the several dozen Latah I have harvested have split, other than that I have had no splitting. Though plenty of BER.
sungellas are splitting here.
gartenperles up here were watered every day, the outside ones have had rain too, and i've only had one or two split !
Most Totems in the g/h are still green. Do they split when green or just once they've ripened ?
The GDs split when ripe, sometimes after they've been picked. I rounded up a load today and made them into chilli jam. That showed them. ;)
It makes sense that the erratic watering would cause splitting also the very hot July could have made the skins prone to splitting when subject to erratic intakes of water.
I had this splitting problem after being away on hols neighbour watered well but come cropping time their has been some splitting and some not many tough skins. Not sure if a change of variety will help?
Quote from: greyhound on August 20, 2006, 22:48:55
I rounded up a load today and made them into chilli jam. That showed them. ;)
LOL! If not completely free from splits, lumps and bumps, BER, lil critter holes, or greenback mine my toms are ALL squished into passata - it pays to take a firm line ;D
Quote from: chrispea27 on August 21, 2006, 06:58:08
Not sure if a change of variety will help?
No splitting on any of the other 3 varieties I have, and like I said, GD does this to me
every year.
I read somewhere this morning, that cherry tomatoes are notorious for splitting, so a change of variety might help, although I am seeing my golden sunrise and tigerella and alicante also splitting ...
Alicante and GD splitting here, so far Sungold and Ailsa Craig are not.
As stated before, must be the amount of rain lately. Bit curious though that the biggest and smallest varieties are ok, while the middling ones are splitting... ???
Ailsa Craig and assorted beefsteaks all splitting - indoors and out. All indoor ones are on a timer for watering, so get regular wet feet. Plums (San Marzano and Roma) and cherries (Garden Pearl) are clean as a whistle indoors and out.
Also getting a lot of late ripening on the tops of the splitting ones - not greenback (I think), but odd.
??? ??? ???
too much goodness for a wee tomato to keep inside its skin. ::)
Quote from: weedbusta on August 21, 2006, 12:51:35
wee tomato
Speaking of which, we have a new little dog moving in tomorrow ... a boy ...
I shall have to be more particular about washing the tomatoes now before scoffing them ... ;D
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...
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
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.
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k167/jackdaw3/IMG_2034p.jpg)
Perhaps if one picked a whole truss the toms would lose their access to water but continue to ripen?
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
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.....
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.
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) ;)
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/IMG_0172.jpg)
That really is a harvest - impressive!
Ripe and alot of rain. Mine did it type Moneymaker.