The 10 Best Tomato Varieties For A Perfect Harvest Without The Splitting

There's nothing more satisfying than a bountiful harvest of summer tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) from your garden. But if you've had a particularly wet few days, you may notice that some of those juicy fruits have some unsightly cracks and splits on the skin. Like many vegetable plants, tomatoes require consistent watering; however, when they're abruptly subjected to a big influx of moisture, tomatoes grow to the point of popping out of their skins. Particularly when preceded by dry spells, heavy rain can cause cracks in the fruits that are (or are close to being) ripe. There are several ways to prevent tomatoes from splitting, including using natural mulch to keep roots cooler, watering consistently, or picking the fruits before they're fully ripe. But the simplest way to avoid cracking is to pick split-resistant varieties.

Yes, split-resistant tomatoes do exist. Some, like 'San Marzano,' withstand cracking because of their dense flesh; others, like 'Camp Joy,' are more resilient because of their thick skins. Of course, none of these varieties can be 100% split resistant, since cracking and skin thickness are brought on by a number of environmental issues and tomato genetics. However, these varieties — whether engineered or naturally more resistant — exhibit far less splitting than others and produce pretty tomatoes that'll look great in that summer salad.

'Arkansas Traveler' tomatoes are an heirloom variety originally from, you guessed it, Arkansas. Bred by the University of Arkansas to withstand difficult growing conditions in the southern U.S., it was engineered to be crack resistant in high heat and humidity. This variety takes about 90 days to produce juicy yet mild tomatoes that are perfect for salsas. Fair warning, this variety is prolific and resilient even in places you don't expect them to be, so you may see some volunteers. It's disease resistant, so you won't have to worry about an ill plant infecting others, despite its potential spread.

As their name suggests, 'Big Beef' tomatoes are a variety of the 'Beefsteak' cultivar that's known for its meaty fruit. A hybrid variety crafted to be disease and split resistant, and incredibly prolific, this tomato is one of the easiest and most flavorful to grow. 'Big Beef' plants can grow up to 8 feet tall, and you can expect 12- to 16-ounce fruits ready in just over 70 days. A classic tomato to use in summer cooking, you can cut into your first one to top that grilled hamburger in no time!  

'Violet Jasper' produces distinctive dark, striped fruit that's not just gorgeous, but also tasty, with a tangy-sweet flavor. Its skin is naturally tough, which keeps the tomatoes from splitting during wetter conditions. Originally from China, this variety works well in warmer temperatures. They're slightly larger than your average cherry tomato, and you should expect ripe fruit in about 75 days during the early growing season. Cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest tomatoes to grow in your garden. With this variety, you'll have both a pretty add-on to your veggie patch and a tasty addition to your kitchen.

Citrine cherries are a fun, bite-sized yellow-to-orange variety that's split resistant, a characteristic that sets it apart from other smaller, round cherry tomatoes. It's a rather hardy variety that's able to grow in harsher conditions, and can reach heights of up to a foot and a half. Citrines are fast growers, with a maturity time of only about 60 days, making them an early season harvest option. Just be sure to harvest your cherry tomatoes on time — splitting or not, these small fruits might attract big critters!

The 'Celebrity' tomato cultivar is a compact bush plant that only grows up to 4 feet, making it another ideal option for smaller outdoor spaces like patios, particularly if you plan on growing tomatoes in containers. On average, these plants produce 8- to 12-ounce tomatoes. Though they're quite meaty, they're extremely split resistant. This variety is also disease resistant — a helpful quality for people growing plants in tightly packed gardens. As a mid-season producer, these tomatoes mature and ripen on the plants in about 90 days.

Cherry tomatoes are typically more susceptible to cracking after excessive water events; as such, smaller tomatoes that are split resistant can be harder to come by. However, 'Yellow Pear' tomatoes are the perfect compact, fun-shaped solution to the cherry tomato cracking conundrum, since they boast a good level of crack resistance, especially when watered regularly. As their name suggests, 'Yellow Pear' tomatoes are shaped like mini pears, and they taste sweet, yet mild. These tomatoes take about 80 days to mature.

A variety of tomato engineered by the famed plant company, Burpee, 'Big Boy' tomatoes are a cultivar that's popular for its large, round, and meaty fruits. It takes just under 80 days to produce ripe fruit. These tomatoes can get decently large (up to 1 pound per fruit in some cases), and the plants can grow up to 5 feet tall on occasion, too. Given how large they get, their split-resistant nature is all the more impressive.

The 'Camp Joy' cherry tomato is another cherry variety that's less split-prone, perhaps due to the fruits' firmer skin. They're known to produce large and abundant clusters of small, rounded fruits that take about 70 days to mature and ripen. 'Camp Joy' plants can get very tall, reaching heights of up to 7 feet on occasion, so cages and trellises will be necessary when growing this variety. But if you're willing to monitor this thick-skinned, fast-growing plant, you'll be rewarded with perfectly round, crack resistant, petite tomatoes optimal for snacking or to top salads.

A quintessentially classic tomato in look and taste, the 'Box Car Willie' tomato is an heirloom variety from New Jersey; it's crack resistant and prolific. These tomatoes take about 80 days to mature and will continue producing well into the season. Everything about this tomato is "just right" — it's a classic orange-red fruit that weighs around 12 to 18 ounces with a plant that grows to a height of 6 feet. 'Box Car Willie' tomatoes are also disease resistant, an usual quality for heirloom tomato varieties. To top it all of, it's a great slicing tomato for sandwiches!

'San Marzano' tomatoes are known for their distinctive, plum-like shape. They're a favorite among sauce makers for their sweet flavor, but they have dense flesh — a quality that protects them from splitting. These tomatoes can be quite prolific, and, as a late- to mid-season grower that can take upwards of 90 days to ripen, you may have 'San Marzano' tomatoes well into the last days of summer. This busy plant can grow up to 5 feet tall and thrives in a range of climates. Their fun shape adds some visual diversity to your vegetable patch, too.