Thick skinned?

sjmaderious · August 11, 2009

Hi All,
This is my first post, but I love the site! I was just wondering if anyone could tell me why my tomatoes seem to have such thick skins? I grow several types in my yard and water them regularly. In the past seasons I never noticed this, but this year all the tomatoes seem to be very thick skinned, so that when I eat a cherry tomato, I'm left chewing a wad of skin after everything else is gone. Any hints? Thanks! -Steve

habitat_gardener · August 11, 2009

Are you growing varieties you've grown before that didn't have thick skins in other years, or are you growing all new-to-you varieties?

The only thick-skinned variety I've grown was Large Red Cherry -- a real spitter.

sjmaderious · August 11, 2009

I suppose they're all new to me, but I'm growing three different types... can it just be a coincidence that they're all thick skinned? Not so thick that I won't eat them, of course, but definitely noticeable.

barkeater · August 12, 2009

sj,

I'm going to make a guess here based on my experience with citrus. You can always tell the difference between a Florida and a California orange by the thickness of the rind. Hot dry weather with little humidity is why CA oranges have such a thick rind, as protection. If you've had an exceptionally (for your area) hot and dry summer, I would think it would apply to other fruits, like tomatoes, as well.

August 11, 2009	#1
sjmaderious Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Santa Rosa, CA Posts: 2	Thick skinned? Hi All, This is my first post, but I love the site! I was just wondering if anyone could tell me why my tomatoes seem to have such thick skins? I grow several types in my yard and water them regularly. In the past seasons I never noticed this, but this year all the tomatoes seem to be very thick skinned, so that when I eat a cherry tomato, I'm left chewing a wad of skin after everything else is gone. Any hints? Thanks! -Steve

August 11, 2009	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	Are you growing varieties you've grown before that didn't have thick skins in other years, or are you growing all new-to-you varieties? The only thick-skinned variety I've grown was Large Red Cherry -- a real spitter.

August 12, 2009	#4
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	sj, I'm going to make a guess here based on my experience with citrus. You can always tell the difference between a Florida and a California orange by the thickness of the rind. Hot dry weather with little humidity is why CA oranges have such a thick rind, as protection. If you've had an exceptionally (for your area) hot and dry summer, I would think it would apply to other fruits, like tomatoes, as well.