Growing tomatoes can be a rewarding experience until you find your beautiful fruits cracked and split after a heavy rain. This common problem happens when tomatoes absorb water too quickly after a dry spell.
Thankfully, many tomato varieties have been bred specifically to resist splitting while still offering amazing flavor and productivity. These varieties have slightly tougher skins or grow more consistently, even with irregular watering.
I’ve tested dozens of tomato varieties over the years in my own garden, and these 18 split-resistant options have proven themselves time and again, even during our wettest summers.
1. Roma VF
Roma VF has been my go-to paste tomato for years. The thick skin that makes these egg-shaped fruits perfect for sauce also helps them resist splitting after summer downpours.
I’ve noticed they hold up remarkably well even when we get those typical August thunderstorms after a dry week. Their determinate growth habit means you’ll get most of your harvest at once – perfect for canning days.
Last year, I planted them in a particularly hot corner of my garden and they still produced like champions without a single split fruit.
2. Mountain Fresh Plus
Developed at North Carolina State University, Mountain Fresh Plus has become a commercial favorite for good reason. These medium-large red slicers have remarkable crack resistance paired with excellent disease tolerance.
The first time I grew them, we had three inches of rain in a single day – not one tomato split! Their rich, classic tomato flavor makes them versatile for sandwiches, salads, or cooking.
My neighbor always asks for these specific plants when I share seedlings each spring because they’re so reliable in our unpredictable climate.
3. Celebrity
An All-America Selections winner, Celebrity has stood the test of time since its introduction in 1984. Medium-sized fruits grow on semi-determinate plants that offer the perfect balance – not too sprawling but productive over a longer season.
What impressed me most about Celebrity is how it handles temperature fluctuations without developing cracks. The fruits have that ideal balance of sweetness and acidity.
During one particularly wet July, these were practically the only tomatoes in my garden that didn’t show any splitting issues.
4. Mountain Merit
Mountain Merit surprised me with its exceptional performance during a particularly challenging growing season. These medium-sized round red tomatoes have an impressive resistance package – including late blight, which saved my harvest when neighboring gardens were struggling.
The firm fruits resist cracking even after heavy rains. I’ve found they store longer on the counter than most varieties too.
For container gardeners dealing with inconsistent moisture levels, this determinate variety is a game-changer – I grew three in 5-gallon buckets last year with perfect results.
5. Defiant PhR
Defiant lives up to its name by standing strong against both diseases and fruit splitting. Bred specifically for late blight resistance, these medium-sized slicing tomatoes have become a staple in my garden’s wettest corner.
The deep red fruits develop a rich, sweet flavor even in cooler summers. Their determinate growth habit makes them perfect for small spaces or when you want a concentrated harvest for processing.
A farmer friend swears these are the only tomatoes she’ll grow commercially now after losing crops to splitting with other varieties.
6. Juliet
Juliet tomatoes fall somewhere between grape and Roma types – elongated fruits about 2 inches long that grow in impressive clusters. Their thick skin makes them practically immune to cracking, even during dramatic weather shifts.
Don’t let that thick skin fool you though – they’re surprisingly sweet and flavorful. I’ve left clusters ripening on the counter for weeks without any deterioration.
Last summer, I harvested over 300 fruits from a single plant that survived both drought and flooding in our community garden plot.
7. Mountain Magic
Mountain Magic combines the best traits of cherry and slicing tomatoes into a perfectly sized 2-ounce fruit. Their sweet flavor rivals the best cherries, but their crack-resistant skin puts them in a class of their own for reliability.
These indeterminate plants keep producing until frost, with fruit clusters that look like jewelry hanging from the vines. When my other varieties started splitting after September rains, Mountain Magic kept delivering perfect fruit.
The balanced sugar-acid profile makes them equally good for snacking, salads, or quick sauces.
8. Plum Regal
Plum Regal produces beautiful paste tomatoes that stand up to inconsistent watering without a hint of cracking. The blocky, Roma-type fruits have thick walls and minimal seeds – ideal for sauce making.
Their determinate growth habit means most fruits ripen within a two-week window. This concentrated harvest is perfect for those weekend canning sessions.
I’ve grown these in my driest garden bed where watering is sometimes inconsistent, and they’ve never developed the radial cracking that plagues other paste varieties under similar conditions.
9. Iron Lady
Iron Lady stands out with unmatched disease resistance paired with excellent crack resistance. These medium-sized red slicers grow on manageable determinate plants that don’t require excessive staking.
The flavor is more complex than I expected – not just sweet but with deeper tomato notes that shine in sandwiches. Their firm texture holds up well when sliced without turning your bread soggy.
During one particularly frustrating season when late blight hit our community gardens, Iron Lady was among the few varieties still producing perfect, unsplit fruits while others failed completely.
10. Sun Gold
Sun Gold might be the sweetest cherry tomato ever developed, but many gardeners don’t realize it’s also remarkably split-resistant! These bright orange cherries have the perfect skin thickness – tough enough to resist cracking but thin enough to practically burst with flavor in your mouth.
My kids call these “candy tomatoes” and can pick and eat them straight from the vine all summer. The indeterminate vines grow vigorously and can reach 8+ feet with proper support.
I’ve found they’re also less prone to the tiny cracks that often form around the stem end of cherry tomatoes.
11. Supersonic
Supersonic is an older variety that commercial growers once favored specifically for its crack resistance. These large red beefsteak-type tomatoes have that perfect balance of sweetness and acidity that makes a classic tomato sandwich so memorable.
The indeterminate vines need good support but reward you with continuous production until frost. What impressed me most was how they handled our midsummer monsoon season without developing those frustrating circular cracks.
A farming friend told me this was her grandfather’s favorite variety for decades – sometimes the classics really are the best!
12. Black Cherry
Black Cherry offers something special with its rich, complex flavor and remarkable crack resistance. These dusky purple-brown cherry tomatoes have become my secret weapon for elevating summer salads and impressing dinner guests.
Despite their delicate flavor, they have surprisingly tough skins that rarely split even after heavy rain. The indeterminate vines produce continuously from midsummer until frost, with improved flavor as the season progresses.
Last year, I accidentally left these unwatered during a week-long vacation, then returned to heavy rain – they still didn’t crack where other varieties would have split immediately.
13. Amish Paste
Amish Paste might be an heirloom variety, but it handles irregular watering better than many modern hybrids. These large, slightly irregular plum tomatoes have thick walls and relatively few seeds – perfect for creating rich sauces and pastes.
I’ve found they’re less prone to blossom end rot than Roma types while still resisting the cracking that plagues many paste varieties. Their indeterminate growth habit means you’ll get fruits throughout the season rather than all at once.
A happy discovery was how well they perform in containers – I grew them in half whiskey barrels with excellent results.
14. Jet Star
Jet Star has been quietly winning garden taste tests for decades while also proving remarkably resistant to cracking. These medium-large slicing tomatoes have minimal seeds and a tender skin that somehow still resists splitting.
The low-acid flavor makes them especially popular with people who find typical tomatoes too acidic. I’ve noticed they’re also less prone to catfacing and other fruit deformities that can plague larger tomato varieties.
My mother-in-law has grown nothing but Jet Star for 30 years – that kind of loyalty speaks volumes about this variety’s reliability.
15. Big Beef
Big Beef combines the size of a beefsteak with crack resistance that’s rare in large-fruited varieties. These hefty one-pound tomatoes have that perfect balance of sweet and acid that makes a truly memorable tomato sandwich.
Despite their large size, they rarely show the radial cracking common in big tomatoes after rainstorms. The indeterminate vines need serious support but reward you with continuous production from midsummer until frost.
During last year’s drought followed by late summer downpours, Big Beef maintained its quality while my other beefsteak varieties split badly.
16. Stupice
Stupice (pronounced “stoo-peech-ka”) is a Czech heirloom that offers both earliness and split resistance. These tennis ball-sized fruits start ripening weeks before most varieties while handling temperature fluctuations with ease.
The potato-leaf plants remain compact yet productive throughout the season. I’ve found their slightly thicker skin provides good protection against cracking without sacrificing flavor.
For northern gardeners with short seasons, this variety is particularly valuable – you’ll get ripe tomatoes up to three weeks earlier than mainstream varieties and they’ll continue producing until frost.
17. Carmello
Carmello has been a French market favorite for decades because of its reliability and crack resistance. These perfectly round, tennis ball-sized fruits have thin skin that somehow resists splitting while delivering exceptional flavor.
The balance of sweetness and acidity makes them versatile for any fresh use. I’ve grown them in particularly challenging conditions – including a partially shaded bed that received inconsistent water – and they still performed admirably.
My gardening journal shows these producing perfect fruits even during weeks when we had 90°F days followed by cool 50°F nights – conditions that trigger splitting in many varieties.
18. Green Zebra
Green Zebra brings unique color and flavor while maintaining excellent crack resistance. These striking green fruits with yellow-gold stripes remain firm when ripe and have a bright, tangy flavor that adds something special to summer salads.
Their slightly thicker skin provides natural protection against splitting without being tough. I’ve noticed they’re particularly good at handling the temperature swings of late summer when days are hot but nights turn cool.
At farmers markets, these are always the first to sell out at my friend’s stand – their unusual appearance draws people in, but their reliability keeps growers coming back to them year after year.