Question
We received a very heavy rain this summer for a week..my garden was flooded.. before the rain my tomatoes were beautiful..after the rain they started splitting on top..vicious v shaped splits. and still doing it 2 weeks later.  what can I do..I'm picking and throwing them away...what a waste.  They look ugly. Please advise.

Answer
Mary, the only thing you can do is pick the tomatoes on the vine that have started to turn color now to avoid the splitting. When tomatoes receive a large volume of rain over a short period, the plant simply absorbs too much water. This will correct itself with the next harvest, but the water has already been taken in by the existing fruit, and these tomatoes will eventually split if left on the vine.

To improve drainage, amend your soil with organic matter such as compost, shredded leaves, and peat. Raised beds will not flood. I am including my standard response on raised beds for your review. If you take these steps before planting next year's garden, I guarantee you this will prevent this from happening in the future.

Raised Beds

I personally prefer raised beds. The soil stays friable since you never walk in the beds; drainage is much better than traditional beds; you save space since raised bed are perfect for intensive gardening methods such as square foot gardening; and soil conditioning is continuous since your always building the beds up with organic matter such as compost, manure, and humus. They are also very neat and more attractive in the landscape.

I always recommend framing a raised bed. You can use treated lumber or a non-rotting natural wood such as cedar. Either of these woods will last up to 20 years. I personally use treated 1擷3攕 screwed together in 4扻5?beds and filled with well amended soil.

If you choose to use treated lumber, make sure to ask for wood treated with ACQ. This wood is treated with borax preservatives. Borax is non-toxic to humans and will not adversely affect your plants, even in the first year. Recent studies have shown that it is best to stay away from wood treated with arsenic (CCA Wolmanized) or woods treated with creosote. The chemicals can leach into your soil and have ill effects on both you and your plants.

The down side to using unframed raised beds is that the sides constantly need to be raked in after a hard rain. If left untended, the plants on the sides can eventually wash away. The decision is certainly yours. But my recommendation is to take the time and build the structures.  Over the long term, you抣l be happy you did.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever provide assistance.

Regards,

Mike