"GK" wrote in message
.. .
My tomatoes have finally started to ripen. Some have turned uniformly
red, but many turn red up to the crown where spots of green remain.
Also, the tomato splits deeply, fanning out from the stem. The taste is
fine. I simply cut off the top of the tomato.

Any idea why this happened? Our summer has been *unusually* dry, and
I've been watering once a day for about 1/2 hour using a soaker hose.

The green area near the stem that never ripens is caused by a gene.

As for cracking, some tomatoes do it as they mature without the added
influence of too much water.

Many of the varieties that behave this way are no longer sold b/c over time,
people have been conditioned to expect perfect looking specimens w/out
regard to taste.

What variety are you growing this year?