A tomato with deep folds and an irregular scar at its blossom end can look as though something attacked a ripe fruit. With catfacing, the distinctive shape develops much earlier, while flowers and young fruit are forming. Understanding that timing makes the next growing decision more useful than searching for an insect on every scar.
The University of Maryland Extension guide to tomato catfacing describes this fruit-development disorder and its association with cool conditions during early growth. Large-fruited varieties can be especially conspicuous when affected. The appearance alone is not a reason to apply an insecticide or fungicide.
Use the plant as a record of timing
Compare fruit on the same plant. Is the distortion concentrated in the earliest cluster, or does it occur throughout the crop? Note when the plants were transplanted and whether young plants experienced a cold period. Keep the variety name beside those observations: a memory of “the big red tomatoes” is difficult to compare next year.
Photograph the blossom end, the whole fruit and the plant. A close-up of the scar alone can miss evidence of another problem. Dark sunken tissue, active decay or other symptoms deserve their own assessment rather than being folded into the catfacing label.
For the current crop, seek local extension advice if the diagnosis is uncertain or fruit is deteriorating. Maryland’s guidance includes removing badly affected fruit. Do not interpret a general article as an assurance that a damaged or rotting tomato is suitable to eat.
For the next crop, review transplant timing and the growing conditions available at your site. A variety trial can be modest: keep notes on one familiar variety and one alternative under comparable conditions. Record fruit quality as well as yield, and avoid changing irrigation, fertiliser and variety simultaneously if you want to learn which difference mattered.
The useful lesson is the connection between the finished fruit and its earlier development. A scar seen at harvest may tell a story about a cool start weeks before, not a problem that began yesterday.