Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4 Experience)
Seed packet description: Belongs to the ultra-early group. In the Northwest region, it starts ripening July 20-25. By mid-August, the harvest is pretty much completely finished. Because it matures so fast, it completely outruns late blight. It’s a tree-type dwarf bush, reaching 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) tall. Requires zero pruning. Fruits are round, red, weighing 1.8-2 oz (50-60 g). Meant to be planted tight, about 5-6 plants per square meter.
I grow this one out in the open garden pretty regularly, but this year I stuck it in the greenhouse hoping it would ripen even earlier (outside it usually ripens for me around June 25th). Well, my hopes didn’t exactly pan out 😄, we started picking the first ripe ones on June 23rd 😄
Overall it matches the description, but only outdoors! Inside the greenhouse, this cute little dwarf turned into a cute little monster, about 3.3 feet (1 m) tall and just as wide 😆 😆 😆 But I gotta give it credit, it’s incredibly productive. Didn’t drop a single blossom during the heatwave or from being planted too densely, and didn’t crack at all despite my totally inconsistent watering.
The fruits match the specs too: juicy, nice sweet-and-sour flavor with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and a tough skin. Overall it’s an absolute workhorse, but I will definitely never plant it “at the feet” of my taller vines in the greenhouse ever again 😄
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Uses
- 🌿 Plant: Determinate, tree-type dwarf. Outdoors, it is an extremely compact, low-maintenance bush staying around 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) tall. However, if grown in the heat and protected environment of a greenhouse, it will explode into a massive, sprawling bush up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall and wide. Needs zero pruning outdoors.
- 🍅 Fruit: Small, round, red tomatoes weighing around 1.8-2 oz (50-60 g). They have a tough skin that makes them highly resistant to cracking from uneven watering.
- 📈 Yield: An absolute workhorse. Sets fruit reliably even through heatwaves and dense planting conditions without dropping blossoms. Produces its entire crop very quickly.
- 👅 Taste & Use: Classic sweet-and-sour flavor with a slightly sweet finish. The tough skins and small size make them ideal for whole-fruit canning, though they are perfectly fine for early fresh eating.
