By Michelle Fabio

Now that your tomatoes are ripening, you may have noticed cracking or splitting at the top of your tomatoes.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to repair the cracks after the fact, but there are some preventative measures you can take to avoid occurrences in the future — and it starts with understanding the cause of the problem.

Jessica Hyatt, Extension Agent of Horticulture at North Carolina State University, recently described three main causes for cracked or split tomatoes and also what you can do to prevent problems:

• CAUSE: Watering fluctuations. Letting tomatoes dry out and then giving them large amounts of water to make up for it can cause cracking.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURE: Try to have as regular a watering schedule as possible.

• CAUSE: Temperature fluctuations. Day and Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

A world free of tomato-growing problems would be perfect indeed, but Tomato Casual has found a fabulous online tool for when your leaves show brown spots with yellow halos or the blossom ends of your tomatoes turn black.

The Tomato Problem Solver from the Aggie Horticulture team at Texas A & M can help you diagnose and treat your tomato growing difficulties.

From the home page of the user-friendly Tomato Problem Solver, you can choose a general tomato Read the rest of this entry »