Have you ever noticed a tomato with a split or crack in its skin?
While it might look unusual, tomato cracking is a recognised issue in tomato growing and can happen for several reasons.
Understanding why tomatoes split gives us another insight into the care and attention involved in producing high-quality fruit.
What Causes Tomatoes to Crack?
One of the main causes of tomato cracking is a change in the amount of water available to the fruit.
When a tomato takes up water rapidly, the inside of the fruit can expand faster than its skin can stretch.
This can cause the skin to split.
The likelihood of cracking can also be influenced by factors such as the tomato variety, ripeness, temperature and growing conditions.
Different Types of Cracking
Not all tomato cracks look the same.
Some cracks appear in circles around the top of the tomato, close to where the fruit attaches to the plant.
Others run vertically down the fruit.
These are commonly known as concentric and radial cracks.
Different growing conditions and variety characteristics can influence how cracking develops.
Why Consistent Growing Conditions Matter
In commercial tomato growing, consistency is incredibly important.
Changes in water availability, temperature and other environmental factors can influence how fruit develops.
That’s why growers carefully monitor their crops and manage irrigation throughout the growing cycle.
Providing plants with an appropriate and consistent water supply helps support healthy growth and can reduce the risk of fruit-quality problems.
The Importance of Variety Selection
Different tomato varieties can respond differently to growing conditions.
Some are naturally more susceptible to cracking than others because of differences in fruit characteristics, including skin properties.
This is one reason why selecting and trialling varieties is an important part of commercial tomato production.
Growing Quality Tomatoes Takes Attention to Detail
At R & L Holt, producing high-quality British tomatoes involves careful monitoring throughout the growing process.
From managing water and nutrients to maintaining suitable glasshouse conditions, many factors contribute to the development of the final fruit.
Tomato cracking is just one example of why growing great tomatoes requires knowledge, experience and attention to detail.
