The Right Way To Water Garden Tomatoes To Prevent Them From Splitting

Growing your own tomatoes can take a lot of work and patience. And if the tomatoes begin to split and crack just before you pick them, after working on your plants all spring and summer — it can be incredibly disappointing. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent this. The most important is to ensure your tomatoes receive consistent water as the fruit is maturing. While there are many drought-tolerant plants, sadly, tomatoes don't fall into this category. 

Tomato plants can often take 90 days to mature, and because they require fertile soil and warm temperatures, they need quite a bit of care and attention to grow well in many areas. Even with all this attention though, minor watering mistakes or even bad luck with rainfall can leave you with split and cracked tomatoes. That's because these fissures most often form when tomatoes are given large amounts of water after a period of little irrigation. Fortunately, with the right care, your tomatoes can stay beautiful and healthy looking until you're ready to harvest.

Of course, the most obvious way to ensure your tomatoes get the consistent moisture they need is to simply water them regularly and prevent their soil from fully drying out. Drip irrigation is a great way to give your tomatoes water on a regular basis. A layer of mulch can go a long way towards helping to keep soil moist as well. If you have to go away on vacation during a period of drought, consider asking a friend or neighbor to water your plants for you so your tomatoes will continue to stay well watered. You can also opt to harvest your tomatoes a bit early if the forecast says torrential downpours are on the way — they will be able to ripen on your window sill.

There are many tomato varieties to choose from, so opting for newer varieties that are less prone to splitting can also be beneficial. These cultivars include 'Big Boy,' 'Sun Gold,' and 'Yellow Pear.' One other factor that can cause tomatoes to crack is sudden heat waves, so consider using shade cloth on those scorching hot days to give your plants a bit of a break from the heat.