Mushy tomatoes - Knowledgebase Question

Yorba Linda, Ca
Avatar for daisy1954
Question by daisy1954
July 2, 2009
Our garden tomatoes seem mushy and flavorless. Do you think we could be overwatering them?


Image
Answer from NGA
July 2, 2009
I'm only aware of two things that might make tomatoes mushy: Allowing tomatoes to fully ripen on the plant when day temperatures exceed 90 degrees causes them to become mushy, and storing them in the refrigerator can also cause them to become mushy. Tomatoes, like many tropical and subtropical fruits, do not like cold. Their flavor begins to decline below 54? F, which is why you should never put whole tomatoes in the refrigerator. Essentially what happens is that cell damage begins to occur at colder temperatures, resulting in mushy tomatoes, and their sugars are either consumed or degraded as the contents of the cell spill out into a mess within the tomato, resulting in a tasteless tomato.

Hope this information is helpful.

You must be signed in before you can post questions or answers. Click here to join!

« Return to the Garden Knowledgebase Homepage

Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by mcash70 and is called "Queen Ann's Lace"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.