I need some help?

[Nica]

This is only my 3rd year of gardening and I've got a lot to learn. The last two years I had some "pretty" tomatoes but this year almost everyone has these cracks in them. I planted the tomatoes about 5 -6 weeks late and wonder if that has anything to do with them, or could it be the type/variety?

Second problem.........something likes to sample them before I get em' picked. Does this bite mark look familiar.....I've been blaming the cottontails, but could it be something else?

Thanks for any help.....

[jim_slagle]

We've had quite a few with the cracks this year.

I don't know about the bite mark. Ours are in pots on the deck and a cocker spaniel bite mark is larger. :yum:

[sattie]

I have had the same problem with my maters and I'm not certain what causes it. I have a containerized tomato plant. I hear you have to water the crud out of them.

As for the hole in your mater... that's birds!!! I have had that problem this year as well. As soon as I got a ripe mater, freakin birds would peck holes in them. Two things you can do... either put one of those shiney swirly things that turns in the wind in with the plant... it scares the birds away. Or pick the mater green and let it ripen on a window seal.

HTH!

[Nica]

I have had the same problem with my maters and I'm not certain what causes it. I have a containerized tomato plant. I hear you have to water the crud out of them.

As for the hole in your mater... that's birds!!! I have had that problem this year as well. As soon as I got a ripe mater, freakin birds would peck holes in them. Two things you can do... either put one of those shiney swirly things that turns in the wind in with the plant... it scares the birds away. Or pick the mater green and let it ripen on a window seal.

HTH!A friend on another forum sent me this..........

http://www.agrisupportonline.com/Art...n_tomatoes.htm

I found it interesting.

[joec]

I'm just now getting tomatoes showing on my plants show and I planted them in late May as always. We have had snow by October 31st the last two years so I don't expect to get a single tomato this year. I will say that I have gotten great egg plant, sweet basil, flat leaf parsley, cucumbers, thyme, tarragon, mint and a few other herbs as well as great peppers. The last 3 years all have grown well from late May through about October 15th.

[Deadly Sushi]

Well Im in an apartment so I really dont have much room to grow plants but on my balcony. I tried last year and got one.... ONE damn tomato. :(
I was pretty sad about it.

[sattie]

Well Im in an apartment so I really dont have much room to grow plants but on my balcony. I tried last year and got one.... ONE damn tomato. :(
I was pretty sad about it.

Sounds like my year! If the freakin birds had not gotten a hold of most of them, I could have had a harvest to boast about!

[Deadly Sushi]

Sounds like my year! If the freakin birds had not gotten a hold of most of them, I could have had a harvest to boast about!

Damn birds! They took care of THAT many tomatoes???? :shock:
Well then WE must eat the birds! :thumb::chris:

[sattie]

Yea, they took advantage of my crop... live and learn. I had no clue that they liked tomatos that much.

[Nica]

Yea, they took advantage of my crop... live and learn. I had no clue that they liked tomatos that much.

We're about a rural as you can get with lots of birds and 4 legged critters of all types. I'm in the garden a lot and I've never seen a bird go for the tomatoes. Once in a while one of the chickens will make it to the garden, and once in a while they will peck at the tomatoes, but they leave a distinctive downward type hole. I know, I need to post a picture. I'm starting to think it might be moles that take the little bites out of the sides and bottom, and I've been blaming the rabbits.