Prevent Tomatoes From Cracking And Splitting With One Simple Gardening Tip

There are few things that make gardeners groan more than finding their tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) cracked or splitting. Not only is it unsightly, but it can introduce disease and pests into the fruit, which are some of the biggest reasons tomato plants die. Thankfully, it is not a disease that causes cracking, and you can prevent it from happening with one simple garden tip: mulch. 

Before you apply mulch to your garden bed, however, it's important to know exactly why tomatoes crack and split. If tomatoes are dry for too long and are suddenly set upon by an enormous amount of water, whether by rain or gardener, the fruit will drink that water up like it's going out of style. The trouble is, the skin doesn't grow at the same rate. As such, the faster growing fruit will begin to push against the delicate skin, causing splits and cracks.

The easiest way to prevent tomatoes splitting is to make sure that the soil is consistently moist. Tomatoes only need about 1 to 2 inches of water on a weekly basis. The mulch comes into play by providing a protective, moisture retaining barrier. If you leave the soil around your tomato plants bare, extended sunny periods will dry it up. By keeping the soil consistently moist using mulch, you won't have to worry as much about periods without rain or watering, and won't be as likely to accidentally over-water to compensate.

Mulch does a lot more for your tomatoes than simply keeping them from cracking. A good application of mulch will keep weeds at bay, prevent disease from attacking the leaves, and slowly release nutrients back into the soil. So, what kind of mulches are best for tomatoes?

There are two routes you can do with mulch: organic or synthetic. The latter includes things like black plastic, which does a decent enough job at preventing weeds, but offers little in the way of nutrients. For that, organic options like straw, grass clippings, shredded leaves, and the increasingly popular option of wood chips will serve you better. Straw and wood chips in particular are excellent options, though you will need to ensure that neither have been treated with chemicals and that the straw hasn't sprouted seeds that will grow unwanted grass in your tomato patch.

Add your organic mulch of choice in a layer of at least 2 to 4 inches on top of the existing soil. Just make sure to keep your watering to a minimum. Besides cracking, other signs and symptoms of overwatered tomatoes include yellowing leaves, standing water around the base of the stems, and black spots where fungus or rot have been introduced. Let the mulch do its job and you likely won't see any signs of cracking in your tomatoes this summer.