San Marzano - Ripening issue

[NYGardner1684]

Good afternoon all! I grew some san marzano plants this year. Plants were extremely healthy. Managed to control the infamous blossom end rot that these varieties typically suffer, but my tomatoes are ripening odd. The sides are ripening last, if at all. I noticed that someone I know picked up a few bushels from a farm and some looked the same, so it may be an issue with this type of tomato. Problem is if I wait for the sides to turn red, the rest if overripe and squishy. I don't mind too much since I use for sauce but some have black rot inside at this point so I have to throw them out. Do I just cut out the yellow part, use the ripe part and call it a day? Any assistance would be appreciated.

I grew Roma in the same plot and haven't had the same issue - despite blight being a real pain in my butt. Managed with some fungicide.

 

[Chuck]

Sounds like it is a high temperature issue.

 

[zigs]

Welcome to the forum

I'd agree with Chuck. We grew SM last year and we're growing Roma this year. Didn't notice any problems last year but did have a few uneven patches in the past few weeks as our temperatures went into the 90's.

 

[NYGardner1684]

Thank you! So should it resolve itself now that it's cooler out? Makes sense -- it was really hot and humid in the NE this summer.

Next year, I'm going to grow just romas and maybe Amish Paste. Romas were way easier. I just had to keep up with fungicide once mid-july hit. It was pretty rainy here. I heard Amish Paste is the best for sauce.

I also noticed, the SM were not as meaty as I would like. They were a real pain. I'm cutting off the yellow parts and using the ripest parts for my sauce. So far it hasn't had an impact on taste - that I can tell. The SM is a really bold sweet taste, as opposed to the mellow sweet taste I get from the Roma. I almost prefer the latter!

 

[NYGardner1684]

Noticed my tomatoes suffer from puffiness -- very hollow. I'm assuming I made a huge mistake top dressing with a top soil w/fertilizer, when I already fertilized at transplant and after 30 days from transplant. I'm assuming the additional nitrogen messed them up. The first tomatoes that were forming before I did that were fine. All the ones forming after were hollow. I guess I learned my lesson.

Luckily If I cut out the green/yellow, they still make good sauce.

In the same plot of land, I have romas as well. About 1/3 of tomatoes are still green. They started ripening in early August. I know we had a stint of hot weather, so I'm assuming that's why a lot of green lingered into September, but now that the weather has broke, they are still green. I'm assuming I will lose a lot of harvest in a couple weeks at frost. SAD!

My first year gardening at this level -- 23 plants -- so mistakes were guaranteed, and have been learned from, but at least I managed to avoid a ton of blossom end rot on my SMs and kept my Roma foliage green w/o too much blight. Slight success for 2020.

 

[Chuck]

Noticed my tomatoes suffer from puffiness -- very hollow. I'm assuming I made a huge mistake top dressing with a top soil w/fertilizer, when I already fertilized at transplant and after 30 days from transplant. I'm assuming the additional nitrogen messed them up. The first tomatoes that were forming before I did that were fine. All the ones forming after were hollow. I guess I learned my lesson.

Luckily If I cut out the green/yellow, they still make good sauce.

In the same plot of land, I have romas as well. About 1/3 of tomatoes are still green. They started ripening in early August. I know we had a stint of hot weather, so I'm assuming that's why a lot of green lingered into September, but now that the weather has broke, they are still green. I'm assuming I will lose a lot of harvest in a couple weeks at frost. SAD!

My first year gardening at this level -- 23 plants -- so mistakes were guaranteed, and have been learned from, but at least I managed to avoid a ton of blossom end rot on my SMs and kept my Roma foliage green w/o too much blight. Slight success for 2020.

It is not a nutritional issue. It is a temperature issue and/or a pollination issue. You would have too much foliage if you had an excess of nitrogen. If your tomatoes have passed the green stage and are in the white stage you can finish ripening them indoors.

 

[shan19]

yes you are right . temperature can damage