Why are my Toms so darn ugly and spliting and rotting?

Ruth_10 · July 20, 2008

It is not my experience that a tomato picked at first blush and allowed to sit inside until it is fully red (or pink or yellow) tastes the same as one that ripens on the vine. Yes, if you have torrential downpours you will avoid cracking if you pick them when they have color but are not fully ripe. If you have a plague of insects, sure. But this isn't the case in many areas.

A tomato picked when it has just started to turn color is not the same as one left on the vine until it is ripe (not past ripe, but at a point where it could be eaten that day or the next).

A fruit on the vine is in communication with the rest of the plant. There are still metabolic processes going on. It is still a work in progress.

July 20, 2008	#31
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	It is not my experience that a tomato picked at first blush and allowed to sit inside until it is fully red (or pink or yellow) tastes the same as one that ripens on the vine. Yes, if you have torrential downpours you will avoid cracking if you pick them when they have color but are not fully ripe. If you have a plague of insects, sure. But this isn't the case in many areas. A tomato picked when it has just started to turn color is not the same as one left on the vine until it is ripe (not past ripe, but at a point where it could be eaten that day or the next). A fruit on the vine is in communication with the rest of the plant. There are still metabolic processes going on. It is still a work in progress. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.