Some of our tomatos are splitting (the tomato is opeing up)is something eating them? Also I think there are 2 tomatos with black spots on them...I never had any kid of vegtable plant so this is all new to me - I wanted to try one veggie and see how it goes then next year get to planting!

What kinds of tomatoes are they? There are many varieties that radial cracking is normal on (crackes from the stem out, like a wagon wheel). It usually happens after a sudden uptake of water, such as after a soaking rain or from overwatering. A very heavy rain after some very hot weather, in particular can bring it on.

There isn't really too much you can do about it. You can harvest your not-yet-ripe tomatoes a little early if you are expecting a big rain. Other than that, some varieties are more prone to cracking than others. You can use this as a factor in choosing what to plant next year. Personally, a little cracking doesn't bother me. The fruits are still edible -- they just may not look very pretty.

Most often it something is eating your fruit, you will be able to tell. There will be very definate teeth marks. I have one tomato that is almost ripe, so I have left it alone waiting patiently. Well, I went out to pick it yesterday and some darn little varment has gotten to it.


As for the dark spots, I am not as familiar with them. Here is an awesome site though that answers many MANY questions on tomatoes. Take a look through and see if any sound like the issue you are having. Tomato Questions

Hope this helps! This is my first year with tomatoes also, and I had almost given up. Now I have them coming out of my ears! Good Luck with yours

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Tomatoes usually split due to too much water. If they stay on the vine too long, the skin will break as the fruit takes in more water. The key is to check your plants everyday and harvest what is ripe or nearly so (tomatoes will ripen off the vine).

This is my first year with Tomatoes and mine weren't doing to well. I took a few green ones of the vine and they are getting red on my porch ledge.

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

thanks for the site! I think maybe I was watering too much because I remember reading somewhere that they need lots of water.

Thanks for the info on too much water making them split. I guess the major dumping of 7 plus inches in the past week would be the cause at my house!

If you take them off the vine when green, how long does it take to ripen?

Yup, I have to get out there and check today to see what damage was done to mine - the ground is so soft that most of my supports have been pulled clean out of the ground! I have the feeling I have lost my squash plants - I see mold everywhere!

Green tomatoes will ripen depending on the type and depending on if they were beginning to ripen before they came off the vine. Set them in a sunny place, or bag them in a brown grocery bag with an apple or ripe tomato. The chemicals given off by the already ripe fruit will cause the others to ripen.