Michigan Gardener

SIGN UP for our Free E-Newsletter!
We will send you occasional e-mails with valuable gardening tips and information!

Digital Editions

Click on the cover to read now!
Sponsored by:

  • Home
  • Departments
    • Ask MG
    • Books
    • Clippings
    • Garden Snapshots
    • MG in the News
    • Janet’s Journal
    • Plant Focus
    • Profile
    • Raising Roses
    • Thyme for Herbs
    • Tools
    • Tree Tips
  • Garden Event Calendar
    • Garden Event Calendar
    • Submit a Calendar Listing
  • Resources
    • Alternatives to Impatiens
    • Garden Help
    • Soil and Mulch Calculator
    • Public Gardens
  • Web Extras
  • About
    • Publishing Schedule – 2023
    • Editorial Content
    • Bulk Subscriptions – 2023
    • Where to pick up Michigan Gardener
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Advertising
    • Print / Web / E-Newsletter Advertising
    • Classified Advertising
    • Material Specs & Terms
    • Make a Payment

Please note that Michigan Gardener has a new schedule in 2023. We will publish one Print Magazine in the spring. This Spring issue will be in stores in early May 2023. We will also publish 10 E-Newsletters from spring through fall. Click to sign up for our free E-Newsletter.

Archive for the vine tag

Why do cracks on tomatoes occur while still on the vine?

February 3, 2023   •   

Resistant varieties come in all sizes and types. ‘Mountain Spring’ (a large red), ‘Sweet Million’ (a small-fruit variety), and ‘Mountain Gold’ (a yellow tomato) are just three selections that are not so prone to cracking.

Cracks on tomatoes that circle the stem end or stretch down from the stem end can be very annoying. They not only deform the beauty of the fruit, but also leave it susceptible to rot. The cause of cracks on tomatoes is generally a growth spurt caused by a prolonged drought. The solution is to provide your garden with adequate and consistent water. You need to water to keep the soil evenly moist. In Michigan, we can have full weeks of rain followed by a month of nothing.

If droughts are common in your immediate location, then besides monitoring the watering, try to look for and select a crack-resistant variety next season. Resistant varieties come in all sizes and types. ‘Mountain Spring’ (a large red), ‘Sweet Million’ (a small-fruit variety), and ‘Mountain Gold’ (a yellow tomato) are just three selections that are not so prone to cracking.

Answers compiled by Martha Ferguson, and contributed by Beverly Moss, Michelle Dunham and Chuck Tyrrell.

RELATED: Tomato blossoms are disappearing

ELSEWHERE: Tomatoes exhibiting cracks this summer

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: cracking, cracks, tomato, tomatoes, vine

Copyright © 1996-2023 Michigan Gardener. All rights reserved.