Question by Pinkdiamond: When do I remove my tomato plants from the garden?
I live in Virginia and the temperature has dropped below 70 degrees. I tried finding information on when to pull them out, but no luck. I have heard of soil corrosion, so I want to avoid that as soon as possible. Also, is it normal for a tomato to crack on top? The insides are not exposed; the best way to describe it would be like a….scar.
Best answer:
Answer by Garden Hoe
70F is still good for a tomato. Don’t pull them out until they have died a natural death after that first frost. Tomatoes will still produce flowers in VA; before your first frost warning you can pick the remaining green tomatoes and let them ripen inside in a paper bag.
The only time you should pull out a tomato plant before the first frost is if the plant is diseased.
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Virginia. My wife of 46 years was born and raised in Wyethville, Va.
I found out about cracking skin about eight years ago. My oranges were all cracking. I live in an area with thousands of orange tree ranches. It was not hard to find the answer. The reason they crack is the weather. If you have a few dry years followed by a wet year, the fruit (also tomatoes) will experience accelerated growth. This will cause the skin to crack.
There is almost nothing you can do about it. You will have to pull up your tomatoes plants. Otherwise the cracks in your tomatoes will become diseased and the disease will spread to the other tomatoes. They will then start to rot on the vine. I wish I had better news. Just finished canning 17 quart jars of tomatoes. Good luck.