In article ,
"TQ" ToweringQs AT adelphia.net wrote:

"Lucy" wrote in message
. com...
Hi everyone,
This year, our tomatoes all have had cracks in them, some little, some
bigger. Happens as soon as they start to ripen. We're doing something
wrong,
just no clue what..
any advice/help greatly appreciated,

Pinching suckers can cause the root / stem system to become out-of-balance,
such that the plant's uptake of water is more than the fruit loading can
bear, which can result in cracking.

I have no special knowledge, only my observations from growing in heavey
clay. I use drip irrigation (emmiters every 12 inches, 1/2 gallon per
hour) and let the water run for about an hour. I continue this practice
unless I start to get overwhelmed with the quantity of ripe tomatoes.
When this occurs, I reduce the watering to every other day, or less,
depending on whether the ground is still damp just below the surface of
the soil. I don't want the ground to become dry. I've been doing this
for about 6 years and haven't had any cracked tomatoes yet, except for
when the rains come. Then all you can do is gorge or can. Hope this
helps.