So, Mother Nature's inconsistent watering. How sad. All those beautiful tomatoes. So I may as well try that variety again next season and hope for better conditions.

For those 2 tomatoes in the pics it may have been better to pick them before they get that red/ripened on the plant and allow them to fully ripen indoors. Esp the CP's where the shoulders stay green even when ripe some times. I would have picked those 2 yesterday or the day before. Any others that are turning red should be picked before a rain otherwise cracking will occur with these thin skinned heirlooms.

Thanks VGKG - That's what I needed to know. I have been growing cherry tomatoes for the past 10 years, because I no longer had enough sun in the backyard and I couldn't grow a large tomato back there. So I don't have a lot of experience with the larger tomatoes. I've been trying to grow tomatoes out front for a few years and this year I expanded the area for tomatoes and I have more plants.

I've tried the Cherokee Purple before. The first time I grew it, it cracked badly and I was waiting for them to ripen on the vine Then I stopped trying them for a few years and this year I tried it again. Aside from all the rain and the rotting tomatoes, some of them just crack a little and have green shoulders. I don't have that many left on the plant, but I went right out and picked 3 more tomatoes tonight that had not rotted and hardly had a crack on them. They're just barely pink with green shoulders, so we'll see how they do. I won't worry about the green shoulders any more. I'd already picked those in the photos a few days ago and they are okay. We ate one tonight and it was delicious. I have about 6 on the counter right now and they seem to be ripening pretty quickly.

Here's a photo one of the tomatoes that rotted on the vine.... I think you can see the rotted spot on the right side.

For me, cracking happens when there's a sudden deluge of rain. When I know it's coming, I pick the fruits showing any color, as they're the ones that will split.

And FWIW, I just cut off spoiled parts and use what's left for cooking, I don't like to waste anything.

That's going to be my habit from now on, picking tomatoes before a rain. Thanks.

Look to see if you have some barely visible clear, but waxy-looking spots on your toms. If so, it's blight and the spots will rot over time. Blight is more common when the foliage is wet over cool nights too often. Which in Maine, is exactly what we have.

Blight....hmmmm....why was I under the impression that showed up first in the foliage?