My Roma Tomatoes Are Soggy?

by Tom Gongwer
(Sylvania, OH)

Question:

The first few tomatoes are fully ripe, but are soft and mushy inside. They are grown upside down and the plants look perfectly healthy and there are over 25 tomatoes on the plant already. The green tomatoes seem firm. The cherry tomatoes and the "little girls" next to them are still green and I haven't picked any yet.

Answer:

Hi Tom,
From my experience, the usual cause is too much water. It does seem kind of common for me that the first few fruits are not very good anyway, though.

But if you've had a lot of rain recently or watered the containers too much in the last few days, that would be my guess.

There are some fungus issues that could also cause this, but I would wait and see how the next few ripe tomatoes turn out. If they're fine, than all will be well. If they turn out the same as the first, than you know you have a fungal problem.

One last note, make sure you are not picking the fruit too late. With some varieties, picking too late will result in the mushy texture inside.

Good Luck,
Brad

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