Cat face tomato: what is it

You’ve waited all summer. You’ve pinched out, tied in, watered and fussed. Then you turn over your first big beefsteak and find a puckered, scarred, lumpy bottom that looks like it’s pulling a face at you.

Say hello to cat face. It’s alarming the first time you see it, but the good news comes first: your tomato is perfectly safe to eat.

What is cat face?

Cat face (or catfacing) is a physiological disorder. That means it isn’t a disease or a pest. Nothing is eating your tomatoes and nothing is spreading between your plants. Something upset the plant while it was growing, and the fruit shows the scars.

It usually looks like this:

• badly misshapen, lumpy fruit, mostly at the blossom (bottom) end
• deep puckering, folds and ribbing
• brown, corky scar tissue, often in streaks
• holes or open cavities between deformed lobes

What you won’t see is mould, rot or pests. The one exception: an open scar can occasionally let in secondary rot later on, so keep an eye on the badly cracked ones.

Why does it happen?

The damage happens at flowering time, long before you see it. While the flower is forming, something disturbs it and the tiny fruit develops unevenly. As the tomato swells, the scars and folds swell with it, and they stay visible right through to the ripe fruit.

The main culprit is cold. Nights below about 13°C while plants are in bloom are the classic trigger, which is why early-season trusses are so often affected, especially if plants went out a little too keen in spring.

Other things that make it worse:

• too much nitrogen, which pushes soft, lush growth
• heavy pruning, which can shock the plant and distort developing fruit
• uneven watering and feeding
• hormone weedkiller drift, which causes very similar distortion, so keep your tomatoes well away from any sprayed areas

Which tomatoes get it?

Big, fleshy fruit is most at risk, so large beefsteak heirloom varieties are the usual victims. Cherry, plum and smaller-fruited tomatoes rarely get it.

That’s a bit of a heartbreaker for heirloom lovers like us, because the tomatoes most likely to catface are often the ones with the best flavour. We think a wonky tomato is a small price to pay.

Can you eat cat face tomatoes?

Yes, absolutely. The flesh underneath is fine. Just cut away the corky, scarred bits and use the rest as normal. They may not win any beauty contests, but they’ll still taste like summer in a sauce, a salsa or a thick slice on toast.

How to prevent cat face

Keep plants warm at flowering. This is the big one. Don’t rush planting out. Wait until nights are reliably mild, and have fleece handy for any cold snaps once flowers appear. Greenhouse growers, close up in the evenings when temperatures drop.

Don’t plant out too early. We know, it’s so tempting in May. Hardening off properly and waiting a week or two longer pays off.

Feed and water steadily. Consistency is better than feast and famine. Once flowers appear, choose a tomato feed that’s higher in potash than nitrogen.

Go easy with the secateurs. Remove side shoots as normal, but avoid big, drastic cuts.

Watch for weedkiller drift. If you’re on an allotment or share boundaries, check what the neighbours are spraying.

If it keeps coming back, try growing some smaller-fruited or less catface-prone varieties alongside your beefsteaks. You’ll still get a harvest of tidy fruit, even in a chilly year.

Not sure what’s wrong with your tomatoes?

Cat face can be confused with blossom end rot or pest damage at first glance. If you’re unsure, snap a photo and pop it into the diagnose feature on our app for a second opinion.

And remember: an ugly tomato is still a homegrown tomato.