[gowing238]

Hi all.

I have moneymaker tomato plants growing in the greenhouse. They are all producing trusses of fruit but there is a problem. The fruits are rough, deformed and some are quite large. I feed once a week with tomatorite and keep the soil moist.

Also have a bush cherry tom plant in there that seems to produce hundreds of flowers but very few fruits. Any ideas!!??

Here are a few pics.

[Kleftiwallah]

I would say that tomato has been polinated by the pollen from a beefsteak tomato plant !     Cheers,   Tony.

[DD.]

I would say you're wrong, Tony as cross pollination would only affect the seed, not this year's fruit and accidental cross pollination is rare in self-fertile tomatoes.

As to the true cause, I'm scrathcing my head at the mo.

[DD.]

Think I may have it, look at this lot:

Catfacing

Caused by temperature drops when the fruit is setting.

[Mr Rotavator]

Very odd  :blink:

[mumofstig]

Sometimes the plants produce very big flowers that can look larger than normal, double, or deformed. I find that these flowers always result in catfaced fruits.
Nowadays if I see any odd-looking flowers I just pick them off before they get a chance to set.


Just read some cat-facing blah, here
http://garden.blogtells.com/2008/07/07/some-tomato-troubles-blossom-drop-curling-leaves-sunscald-rot/
and it is cool temps that make the flowers deformed.

[gowing238]

funny you should say that mum, but the particular plant i took that tomato from did have large odd looking flowers!! The main reason i took the giant tomato off is because the plant seems to have fallen behind the rest of the plants in the greenhouse. I thought maybe this giant was using up all of the energy!??

[mumofstig]

I agree ..............the weird fruits take forever to ripen if you leave them, and are mostly inedible, so it's not worth leaving them on, is it? 

[kermit]

I had the same with a chilli flower. Looked like a twin fruit but took ages to ripen. Ate it sat night and I swear it was the hottest little blighter Iv ever had, and I like chilli heat!

[gowing238]

I would add mind, thats its not just a one off fruit!! I have 6 moneymaker plants, and most of the fruits on all plants look in the same stages, albeit smaller. Ill take a few pics on vine tomorrow

[gowing238]

had an issue with avg earlier not allowing me to read links. All sorted now mind and i think mum and dd have hit the nail on the head with catfacing. Seems to explain why all 6 plants are experincing same issues. Blasted british weather!!

[Trillium]

I've had certain varieties of toms grow like that and its often due more to the way the variety grows. In your case, it could be a bit of both - variety growth habit and some catfacing.

[nickholden]

they look like tomato's that were on Rick Stien last night some ugly looking tomatoes from spain but taste very good so they say

[nickholden]

That would be tomato's from spain