Tomato splitting

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 17 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

Prevent your ripening tomatoes from splitting, with the help of our guide.

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Time to act

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Fluctuating growth rates cause tomatoes to suddenly expand. This might happen after a period of drought followed by generous watering, or low temperatures followed by a sudden sunny spell. The split might then become infected, causing the tomatoes to rot.

Symptoms

Tomatoes split open while still on the vine. This can lead to secondary infections and the tomatoes often start to rot.

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Organic

Water plants regularly and consistently, so it's not feast then famine for the plants. Ventilate greenhouse tomatoes during very hot spells and provide shading. Promptly pick off any split tomatoes before they start to rot.