Yes, I do think that you might be growing varieties that normally do have radial splitting.

Both radial and concentric splitting at the stem end are normally seen with many varieties and that's b'c it's a genetic trait of the variety. Usually those splits scar over and only if there's a lot of rain or overirrigation will they split open again and the normal bacteria and fungi that are in the air then can get inot those splits and initiate some rotting.

Horizontal splitting , that means splitting elsewhere on the fruits than radial and concentric, is due to too much moisture and when the fruit epidermis is at its maximum size it can't expand any more so it splits.

Carolyn

Thanks for the reply, Carolyn.

I guess it's somewhat reassuring that it might just be the varieties, and probably nothing that I'm doing wrong. I did grow a whole different set of varieties last year, and had very few problems despite all the rain.

Still, it's a bit depressing to find these big splits on barely ripe tomatoes that were perfectly intact (but green) only the day before. They've all been yummy though!

If they were even close to ripe then they should have been picked the day before or even sooner. Pick at blush.

That's a lesson I'm slowly learning.

Last year, I was able to allow my tomatoes to get pretty far along before picking them without penalty.

This year, I'll see a tomato just beginning to blush and literally if I wait one day it will end up with a huge split running from top to bottom. So yes, from now on I'm following your advice.

It's tricky with the green giants though, since they exhibit no color change at all when they ripen. You can only go by feel with those.

Is "pick at blush" the proper procedure regardless of variety? I am new at this and I'm growing these:

Brandywine Heirloom Tomato
Moskvich Heirloom Tomato
Striped German Heirloom Tomato
Rose Heirloom Tomato
Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato
Valencia Heirloom Tomato
Great White Heirloom Tomato
Black Prince Heirloom Tomato

I am in KY as well.

thanks,
Dave

Short answer, Yes.

Longer answer: Not necessarily.

I live in a desert climate, we get less than 10" of rainfall a year. About the only time I pick "breakers" is when we expect a killing frost in the fall. I will pick nearly ripe fruit just before I water. As with most anything associated with tomatoes, lot depends on your local conditions.

YMMV (your mileage may vary.)

Betsy

Fruit doesn't benefit from staying on the vine after blush so why chance it getting damaged by weather, birds, animals or bugs?

I think when someone picks their tomatoes is dependent on where they live and what anticipated critter and bird, etc., problems might occur as well as cpnsiderations about shelflife with soft flesh consistency varieties such as the gold/red bicolors..

In my zone 5 the only time I picked some at first blush was when I was selling to chef's and at a farmstand so there would be longer shelf life.

I'm also one who doesn't necessarily believe that all the organic compounds that are involved in taste are synthesized and within the fruits at first blush.

But this is a situation where folks don't always agree. As I see it, once you pick the fruits then there's no more buildoing blocks avaiaable for synthesis of anything and that includes the ATP energy formed by photosynthesis.

If you look at the ripening sequence it's a cascade of events and one has to follow the one before it.

Carolyn

in all this about the time to pick tomatoes i recall reading that tomatoes reach there pick acidity at the peak of ripeness.

in my way of thinking that means to pick ripe tomatoes for canning when they are ripe.

the exception to this rule would be the last pick before the frost and for chipping.

also to me a ripe tomato is much better eating.

Dr Carolyn is there any truth to the acid being higher when the tomato is fully ripe?

Dean

Dean I never said I eat unripe tomatoes. They ripen just fine sitting on the kitchen counter and taste the same as fruit ripened on the vine.

Dean, what is "chipping" please?

thanks

Dr Carolyn is there any truth to the acid being higher when the tomato is fully ripe?

*****

Short answer, NO.

of all the varieties assayed for pH there's a very very narrow range so there really is no such thing as a high acid tomato and only a couple of varieties that can be said to be low acid.

But since not all varieties have been assayed, far from it with about 6,000 varieties avaialable commercially,you must acidify what you can b'c C. botulinum spres are not inactivated except when the contents are at an acid pH. That's with the open water boiling method.

The Ball Blue Book is a good guide to follow.

Carolyn

vronp,

I am pretty certain that Dean had a typo and meant "shipping."

Hope that helps.

Betsy