Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 3 Experience)
DWARF GONDWANA ROSE.
This is the third dwarf I grew this past season. And if I highly recommend growing the PPI and OPO dwarfs, especially for northern growers, things aren’t so clear-cut with Gondwana Rose.
This dwarf, like most tomatoes from this project, is a late one for our regions.
I got some ripe fruits, sure, but at the very end of the season. And a bunch of them I had to pick green and bring inside to ripen off the vine.
For folks further south, you can grow it without any problems. It’s a typical dwarf, fairly short (4 ft / 1.2 m), with dark rugose foliage and a thick, sturdy stem.
The fruits are round balls, sometimes a bit flattened, very pretty, dark pink with distinct anthocyanin, averaging around 3.5 oz (100 g). The flavor isn’t what you’re used to, it’s complex, got a noticeable tartness, I know there are fans of that. Interestingly, some caterpillars really took a liking to the fruits of this variety late in the summer. Even though there were sweeter tomatoes growing right nearby.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Pests
- 🌿 Plant: A typical sturdy tree-type dwarf with thick stems and dark rugose foliage, reaching about 4 ft (1.2 m) in height. Produces round, slightly flattened 3.5 oz (100 g) fruits that are dark pink with prominent anthocyanin splashes.
- 📈 Season & Yield: A late-season producer. In northern climates (like Zone 3), the season might not be long enough for the whole crop to ripen on the plant, requiring growers to pull fruits green to ripen indoors. Better suited for warmer, southern regions.
- 👅 Taste: Has a complex flavor profile with a distinct, noticeable tartness rather than just straightforward sweetness.
- 🐛 Pests: Valeriy1968 noted that caterpillars specifically targeted this variety late in the summer, ignoring sweeter tomatoes planted nearby.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: One northern grower in USDA Zone 3.
