I really enjoy heirloom tomatoes, especially the ‘Black Krim’ variety. I noticed this year that I have a larger quantity of tomatoes with a type of deformity. Is this normal for heirloom tomatoes or do I have some types of deficiency in my soil?
Your tomato problem is called catfacing. It’s a weird name, but if you use your imagination, do some of them look a little like a cat face?
The problem occurs to some extent wherever large, fresh-market tomatoes grow. Some varieties are more likely to show catfacing than others. Growth disturbances during blossoming are thought to be the cause. Prolonged unseasonably cool weather might be involved. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer might aggravate the problem.
I have noticed more catfacing this year as well, but only on my large varieties — I just cut the weird parts out. I'm guessing our strange weather in May might have played a part because I don't fertilize my tomatoes, and I grow different varieties each year.
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