Cracked Tomatoes

Cracked tomatoes are one of the most common problems that face vegetable gardeners. If you have ever grown tomatoes then the chances are pretty good you have been faced with this problem yourself. In fact, many gardeners seem resigned to the idea that this is an unavoidable aspect of home gardening. Luckily, this couldn't be further from the truth. The simple fact is that these "cracks" are nothing more than "stretch marks" for your tomato. The skin is not stretching properly as the inside of the fruit is plumping up.

Surprisingly, cracked tomatoes are a result of many simple and common errors. These common errors are listed below, as well as what you can do about them. If you find yourself faced with the problem of cracked tomatoes, simply use these guidelines to help you find the solution. You will be growing beautiful, delicious tomatoes in no time!

• Watering. One of the most common causes to cracked tomatoes is due to problematic watering. Tomatoes usually require a fairly regular amount of water, and a fairly regular watering schedule. If they either get too much or too little, then you can find yourself faced with cracked tomatoes. The simplest solution is to start a watering schedule and adapt the schedule based on any rain you may experience.
• Mulching. One of the best ways that you can keep your tomato plants nice and moist is through the use of mulching. The trick to properly mulching your tomatoes is to have a layer of mulch about six inches deep around the base of the plant. This layer of mulch will help hold in the moisture from your watering days over for the days when you do not water, allowing a more even distribution of the needed moisture.
• Fertilizing. Often these cracks will appear due to the fact that the inside is not growing as quickly as the exterior. One of the ways to help ensure that this doesn't happen is to properly fertilize your plants. The fertilizer will provide much needed nutrients to the plants and help promote even growth of the plants. Simply follow the directions on the package of fertilizer that you use to ensure proper fertilization of your plants.
• Still edible. One of the common worries about cracked tomatoes is whether they are still edible or not. The short answer is that yes they are. What you need to keep in mind though is that they will not last as long as other tomatoes, so you will need to eat them quicker than the others you have harvested.