Mudman, I don't know about over fertilizing. Last season the incessant rains washed the flavor out of my small tomatoes. Tomato plants like to have about the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week. Fred in Maine

The effect of fertilizing on flavor is...debated. ;) But effect of watering isn't. Water can easily dilute the flavor of tomatoes so excess is best avoided. Don't deprive them to the point of wilting by any means but timing and amounts do play an important role in both production and flavor.

Define "water pretty liberally" as "liberally" isn't an term commonly associated with watering tomatoes. ;)

Far too many of us do tend to over-water and the plants tend to show their appreciation when we cut back.

Dave

I Agree with Dave and others.
I also think that sun and less humity can make a difference.Soil can be yet another factor.

cyrus

I also think that sun and less humity can make a difference.Soil can be yet another factor.

Please elaborate!

lib·er·al·ly \-b(É-)rÉ-lç\ adverb Soaking a plant once a day during the heat of the Wisconsin summer.

Not giving your plants enough water can lead to them not getting the nutrients they need and can cause BER just like too much water can. The flavor of a tomato is mostly genetics from what I've read. Letting them wilt slightly before you water them is not a good idea. Just my $.02.

"The flavor of a tomato is mostly genetics from what I've read..."

The "flavor potential" is determined by genetics, the actual outcome is determined by climate, sun, wind, soil, cultivation habits, etc., etc., etc. Hence, the original poster's question is valid.

The people who have posted here are not saying to go to extremes on watering like letting plants wilt; They are saying that it may be best to limit watering to the lower end of the acceptable range when fruits are developing.

Some people just water as they always would when fruits are maturing, but they pick any ripe and near ripe fruits before they do their watering - and they claim the flavor is better that way.

There is also a method of growing tomatoes "dry" or "dry farming", which some farmers swear by, you can do some searches on that here as well as on the web in general.

mudman93 it's not summer yet and Wisconsin doesn't get as hot as southern states. If you are watering liberally now it's way too much water. If your plants are in the ground, once every other day in the summer heat might do. My soil drains good and I don't have to water every day in summer. If your plants are in containers, depending on size, you might have to water daily.

Agree with taz and as you are defining liberally it sounds like way to much to me. Tomato plants aren't water hogs by any means - which is why "liberally" is not a term normally associated with watering them. ;)

It's too much even in the heat of an Arkansas summer much less a Wisconsin summer - UNLESS your plants are in small containers (which you don't indicate in-ground or in containers). Plants in the ground should never need daily watering - weekly yes, daily no way, sorry.

Plants in containers of appropriate size MAY need daily watering depending on the environment but then only in the dead heat of summer. And they require regular nutrient supplements too.

Plants in small containers - usually defined here as anything less than 5 gallons although bigger is better - unless they happen to be one of the dwarf cherry types are often doomed no matter what you do.

But without much more info *shrugs* who knows. Your original question - yes, over-watering dilutes the flavor of the fruit - among other things.

Dave

No taz you are right. Technically it is still winter here :) My plants are in the ground and no I'm not watering them like this now, only when it gets really hot. It actually does get hot here sometimes. So let me ask it this way, if my tomatos taste great, and they do, am I probably not overwatering?

Well this has always been a topic of interest to me, and I have erred on the side of less watering where tomato plants are concerned. Now, I would never let my plants wilt from dryness, but I have seen through experimentation that this has NEVER occurred in my 22" deep raised tomato beds, and last season I did not water at all. Used a good layer of mulch, yes, but other than that the rainfall was all they got. The roots go super deep that way and I see the evidence when I pull the plants in the Fall. I am assuming I am getting a more concentrated tomato flavor, but have not done the side-by-side comparison to a religiously watered plant. So let's keep discussing this one because we grow tomatoes for the flavor, right?

The advice I read, but don't recall where, was to water tomato plants regularly until they set fruit, and then stop watering unless there hasn't been any rain. So, around here, I can go weeks without watering them some summers. Obviously I watch them to be sure they don't look stressed or wilty (in the morning ... they often look a little wilty after a full day in the sun), but I don't water them much after a point.

mudman if your fruit tastes good and your plants grow good then you are doing fine.

susan they should still receive regular watering in summer if needed. If they go fairly dry then receive a downpour of rain the fruit will almost certainly crack.

Personally I just mulch the heck out of them with grass clippings and forget about watering. Unless you're in a very arid environment or in a period of extreme drought I wouldn't bother watering with a deep mulch. It does a great job of holding moisture in when it's dry.

I definitely think too much water hurts the flavor, but here in Texas we rarely have too much water, except for maybe with Fall tomatoes.
At this point in the season, with highs in 90's and lows only in the 70s, plus with no rainfall, I'm watering deep with my soaker hoses twice a week. My plants are really big at this point and they really seem to suck up the water. Last year I tried watering only once a week and the late June early July fruits developed BER.

How does all this relate to the "grow box" setup which holds 4 gallons of water so that the plant always has what it needs ? Mine last year had 2 foot roots floating in the water for weeks and the tomatoes tasted great (just like the ones in my garden).

More water = No flavor (and no tomatoes, or anything else). My garden has received about 18" of rain since it thawed this spring. Nothing planted yet.

My tomatoes are dying in cups in my greenhouse. My garden this year may consist of what I can grow, and am already growing, in my greenhouse, and the few tomato plants I was going to grow in containers this summer, because the space in the garden was previously allocated.

My tomatoes and peppers should have been planted out three weeks ago. Got another drenching tonight. Have not looked yet. Wait, it is just steps away. Yes! Only a half inch! May be able to work it in a week, if it doesn't rain again before then.

Oh, I may not have time for gardening. Chances are greater I will win the lottery than they are that it will not rain again in the next week.

readheads turn off the pump and see what happens.

Soil does play a major part in the flavor of a tomato.
Earl's Faux grown by Earl in Ohio soil tastes wonderful, leaning to the sweet side of things.
Earl's Faux grown by someone else in central NC (using seed from Earl) tastes wonderful, leaning to the tart side of things.

What's the main difference? The soil the plants were grown in.

As for water, yes is does effect flavor. However, I think it effects is differently for the various varieties. I was
growing Anna Russian about 5 years ago. The spring was relatively dry and so the plants got only drip irrigation watering. The fruits were fabulous tasting (as one would expect from Anna Russian). Later that summer, we had a couple of weeks of solid rain. About 3X normal amounts for
this area. The Anna Russian fruit that ripened during that
period were so bland and watered down, I wouldn't even
eat them.

Just my .02... and I agree with Taz, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Lee

"How does all this relate to the "grow box" setup which holds 4 gallons of water so that the plant always has what it needs?"

This is a good question and any time someone brings up a "less water / more flavor" discussion, a question like yours comes up as does one like this "I grow my tomatoes hydroponically and they taste great".

I think the limiting water discussion has a lot more to do with plants in the ground. Since water levels in the ground fluctuate a lot more than in a SWC or (obviously) hydroponic containers - I think that the plant is in a different mode of water consumption; sort of a "get it when you can" / "feast and famine" mode. So when you water the plant takes up as much as it can, probably a little more than it needs - and that may be where the watered down taste comes from.

In SWCs and Hydroponic containers, the plant never feels the need to grab more water than needed since it's supply is steady as a rock... Just a theory I have, related to the watering / taste discussion.

Thanks, Taz. Interestingly, the only variety that ever splits on me from this treatment is my Sungold Cherry. They seem to split at an extra drop of rain.