Ailsa Craig Tom question

[BeBe48]

Hello All
Hope you are having a good year growing your fav veg!

My Ailsa Craig tomatoes are doing very well in th polytunnel again this year. However, they don't seem to want to ripen fully and have a hard yellow top. The rest of the Tom is beautifully ripe and juicy. I don't want to leave too long and then they become over ripe and still have a hard yellow top. Anyone else having the same problem?

hopefully added a photo but not sure! 😀
Thanks

BB

[Penellype]

This is called greenback and is caused by the tomatoes getting too hot. The yellow-green area round the stalk will not ripen, but you can cut it off and eat the rest of the tomato. Quite a few of my Shirleys grown on my sitting room windowsill have done the same thing.

[BeBe48]

Thanks Penellype. It certainly has been hot!! Never heard of greenback! I have been cutting off that yellow bit and enjoying lovely toms

[Mark_Riga]

If used for cooking, I cut the green bits up small and bung it in with the rest. I had loads of greenback last year in a hot polytunnel but they are growing in a greenhouse this year that is cooler and partly shaded by some trees. You could try growing some alicante in future. I think they are just as tasty as Aisla Craig but don't suffer so much from green back so they are the main variety i grow for cooking with now (and eating raw).

[MarkPelican]

That’s one of the reasons why you have to shade the greenhouse. It’s been a bad year this year. I’ve got lots of blossom end rot.

[Earthgirl Jen]

That’s one of the reasons why you have to shade the greenhouse. It’s been a bad year this year. I’ve got lots of blossom end rot.

Mark not disagreeing with you but I'm a lazy so and so and don't even bother to shade my greenhouse, I've had lots of greenback this year, toms still perfectly edible. I did have a couple of toms that showed blossom end rot and that was because I didn't get enough water into the pots during the really hot weather.
I upped my watering in the pots and haven't suffered any since...

[goosander]

Thought that it was only me that had that problem [greenback]. Have even with the vents along the side open and a draft going through.
Bob.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm a lazy so and so and don't even bother to shade my greenhouse.

But if you did shade it, you’d need to water less. Pay youse money, takes youse choice

[MarkPelican]

Mark not disagreeing with you but I'm a lazy so and so and don't even bother to shade my greenhouse, I've had lots of greenback this year, toms still perfectly edible. I did have a couple of toms that showed blossom end rot and that was because I didn't get enough water into the pots during the really hot weather.
I upped my watering in the pots and haven't suffered any since...

I didn't say I did, just that one should