Fun tips and trivia for growing tomatoes are uncovered as Drew Carney interviews Mark Bigej, 3rd general owner of Al’s Garden Center. Al’s Garden Center prov…
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Question by Cindy C: tomatoes from garden have tough skin?
My tomatoes seem to have a tough or chewy skin. Is this normal for home grown tomatoes? I don’t see this on store bought ones, so I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong.
I think I have some celebrity tomatoes. I”ll have to check to see what the other variety is and post later.
Best answer:
Answer by roxie_xd
There are a few things that can make a tomato have a thick skin; the obvious is that some varieties of tomato’s have a thick skin, usually these also have a low juice content and make great tomato’s for drying or for recipes that require a ‘meaty’ tomato such as for sauces.
However; if this is not the case then it may be due to the weather:
Dry or very hot summers tend to produce thick skinned tomatoes, because of extreme heat fluctuations. Even if you’re watering the garden regularly, when the sun is hotter, and the air is hotter through the days, it can result in thicker skins as the plants try to conserve moisture.
Inconsistent moisture levels in the soil or excessively high air temperatures contribute to the problem as the plants try to conserve moisture.
So weather and varietal issues are the main causes, and there really isn’t much that can be done, except grow more tomatoes next year and hope for cooler temperatures.
Give your answer to this question below!
It could be from uneven watering.
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Also, some tomato varieties are bred to have tough skins…less fragile for shipping, used for canned tomato products etc.
Picking tomatoes too early and then allowing them to “ripen on the window sill” will often result in tough skins. Skin gets thinner at the end of the ripening (on the vine) process. They also have better/sweeter taste if allowed to fully mature on the plant.
Good luck
Tomatoes bred to be “crack resistant” tend to have thicker and tougher skins. Hotter temperatures also make the skins tougher. I’ve noticed that as the summer progresses, my tomatoes tend to get tougher skins. There are some heirloom tomatoes that are very juicy, with thin skins and tend to crack as soon as you pick them. What kind of tomatoes are you growing?