Does tomato shape affect cracking?

creeker · July 5, 2021

After our hot spell (2 weeks of 100s) we had a week of off and on rain and much lower temperatures. Due to nematodes in the ground I am growing in buckets on rain gutters this year ( first time so still learning the do's and don'ts) . The gutters filled with water, buckets soaked up and ripening tomatoes started cracking. All I could do was drain the gutters and pick all but the green tomatoes. The flatter (oblate) ones cracked worst, round ones not as bad and a heart shaped one and some pear shaped ones not at all. If this phenomenon is normal it will affect my variety selection in the future. Comments appreciated.

Tormato · July 7, 2021

Hearts seem to be the most crack resistant, here. Almost never is the best way I can describe it.

As for beefsteaks, the pinks crack more than the reds from what I've seen. Some varieties have it much worse than others. Rose will almost crack at the sight of a rain cloud, but usually only the skin cracks, not the flesh. The cracks can be long though, from stem to blossom end. Worst of the worst is Soldacki. It gets intersecting radial and concentric cracking at the same time. Imagine a pink disco ball, if you will.

creeker · July 7, 2021

I think I'll just plant hearts next year.

July 5, 2021	#1
creeker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Southern New Mexico Posts: 106	Does tomato shape affect cracking? After our hot spell (2 weeks of 100s) we had a week of off and on rain and much lower temperatures. Due to nematodes in the ground I am growing in buckets on rain gutters this year ( first time so still learning the do's and don'ts) . The gutters filled with water, buckets soaked up and ripening tomatoes started cracking. All I could do was drain the gutters and pick all but the green tomatoes. The flatter (oblate) ones cracked worst, round ones not as bad and a heart shaped one and some pear shaped ones not at all. If this phenomenon is normal it will affect my variety selection in the future. Comments appreciated.

July 7, 2021	#2
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,968	Hearts seem to be the most crack resistant, here. Almost never is the best way I can describe it. As for beefsteaks, the pinks crack more than the reds from what I've seen. Some varieties have it much worse than others. Rose will almost crack at the sight of a rain cloud, but usually only the skin cracks, not the flesh. The cracks can be long though, from stem to blossom end. Worst of the worst is Soldacki. It gets intersecting radial and concentric cracking at the same time. Imagine a pink disco ball, if you will.