Growers’ Notes and Photos
An indeterminate but compact mid-season variety from the Dwarf Tomato Project with rugose, regular leaves. The fruits weigh 4–5.5 oz (120–150 g) and are round and yellow.I sowed the seeds for this variety in April, but they (or rather, the one single seed I planted) just refused to germinate. I had a second, final seed left! It only sprouted after I put it in a germinator, I basically had to nurse this variety to life. Since that seed finally popped in early May, and Dwarf series tomatoes are usually NOT early (they lean towards mid-late), I ended up planting the dwarf vine in the greenhouse to give it time.
Not a single fruit fully ripened on the plant before the season ended; only the first truss even started to blush. But even the ones that I had to ripen indoors on the counter still had a really nice sweetness to them. (I saw photos of this exact same seed stock grown by someone else, and their fully vine-ripened tomatoes had a gorgeous pink core inside. Since mine were counter-ripened, they obviously lacked the pink blush and the flesh color wasn’t as deep).
Takeaway: It’s highly recommended to let this fruit fully ripen on the vine. For such a late planting, I consider the yield to be excellent. I pulled this plant out of the greenhouse absolute last. Not a single speck of disease or crud attached itself to the leaves all the way through the end of September.
Out of the “Kangaroo Paw” series, the yellow one is the largest. I also grew Kangaroo Paw Brown and two plants of Kangaroo Paw Green.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: A classic Dwarf Tomato Project variety featuring thick, rugose regular foliage. While it is a compact dwarf, it is technically indeterminate and will keep growing throughout a long season, sometimes reaching up to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall. It is remarkably bulletproof against late-season fungal diseases.
- 📈 Yield: Excellent and sustained. It has a very long harvesting window, steadily producing fruit from mid-summer straight through to the first frost.
- 👅 Taste: Sweet and pleasant. When left to fully ripen on the plant, the yellow flesh develops a beautiful pink blush in the center, unlocking its peak fruity flavor.
- 📦 Storage: Very forgiving. If your season gets cut short by frost, green or blushing fruits can be picked and will successfully ripen indoors on the counter while retaining a surprisingly sweet flavor profile.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Grown and highly rated by gardeners in both Zone 4 (greenhouse) and Zone 6 (outdoors).
The “Kangaroo Paw” lines (Brown, Green, and Yellow) were created by the Dwarf Tomato Project, resulting from a cross between ‘Budai Torpe’ and ‘Cherokee Green’. They are beloved by container and small-space gardeners for combining the robust, thick-stemmed tree-type habit of dwarf plants with the complex, sweet flavors usually reserved for wild, sprawling heirloom vines.
