I’d like to do a series on problems all of us have from time to time when growing tomatoes. This week I answered a question about catfacing. (Please don’t run through the streets screaming in horror. Franken tomato happens to most of us at one time or another! )Below is an excellent article on possible causes. I am sharing it here. Click on the link below to read his/her take on catfacing. Thanks to The Tomato Bible.

https://www.tomatobible.com/tomato-catfacing/

Pretty ugly, right? There are multiple reasons that this could happen.

For one, many of the largest heirlooms are susceptible to this. You would never see this in retail. They want pretty, round, moderate-sized tomatoes.

A big reason could be the weather. Wide fluctuations of hot, cold, and warm, interfere with the flowers as they develop.

Another reason could be your watering practices. Inconsistent watering, too much, too little. I know it contributes to cracking on thin-skinned tomatoes.

Weather, we can’t control. The varieties we choose are something we can change, as well as how and when we water.

The good news? You will lose a lot of tomato when you trim the icky spots but the tomato is still very, very delicious! Hands down, they taste a lot better than the perfect, plastic ones at the store.

Just know that is isn’t usually something you did.

Blue Beauty and Dancing with Surfs

These tomatoes were part of my dark and unusual choices for this year. I was amazed at the size and coloring of the ‘Blue Beauty’. Very prolific, they all seemed to ripen at once (so far) and the plant isn’t too tall. Labeled as an indeterminate. A cross between ‘Beauty King’ and a blue tomato. This is a Brad Gates Introduction of Wild Boar Farm. He has come up with some doozies! His are the most colorful tomatoes around. It is also one of the first to ripen in my garden.

Where does he come up with these names? These are about the size of a ping pong ball. They grow in clusters and are mature when they turn dark red with purplish shoulders. I liked them and thought they were fairly sweet when truly ripe. In my experience, blue tomatoes need to be really ripe for the best flavor. A tidy little plant, almost 4 feet in my garden.

I enjoy thumbing through the catalogs looking for new varieties every year. The more colorful the better!