{"id":6158,"date":"2026-10-23T10:19:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T10:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=6158"},"modified":"2026-10-23T10:19:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T10:19:59","slug":"dwarf-shadow-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/dwarf-shadow-boxing\/","title":{"rendered":"Dwarf Shadow Boxing Tomato: Grower Reviews & Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Dwarf Shadow Boxing is a highly compact, rugose-leaf dwarf tomato bred by Tom Wagner<\/strong>, producing small anthocyanin fruits weighing roughly 2.5 oz (70 g). Because the seeds were released very early in the breeding process, growers here report extreme segregation in fruit shape (round vs. elongated plums) and color (heavy striping vs. solid red or black). Despite the instability, most users praise it for being extremely productive, highly disease-resistant, and visually stunning, with a sweet, sometimes tart flavor. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

Jump to: The Segregation Issue<\/a> | Disease Resistance & Performance<\/a><\/p>\n

Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-6 Experience)<\/h2>\n
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Elena_ (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Samara Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Seeds from Kulik.<\/p>\n

My seedlings (left flat): very short plants, but taller than Tasmanian Chocolate, first truss after the 7th leaf.<\/p>\n

Edited March 17, 2019 by Pomidoroved<\/em><\/p>\n

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Alisa \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,406 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Seeds from Kulik.<\/p>\n

My seedlings (left flat): very short plants, but taller than Tasmanian Chocolate, first truss after the 7th leaf.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Color me intrigued. Got any more info? Taste, weight, days to maturity?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Elena_ (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Samara Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I’ll write about it when I actually grow it out. Kulik’s info says: mid-season, 2.3-3.3 ft (0.7-1.0 m), 120 days, elongated. A super-miracle. Unusually beautiful fruit coloring, elongated fruits about 3 inches (8 cm) long. Golden-orange with crimson lines and spots, the part near the stem is covered in blue (black). Tree-type bushes, very productive, excellent firm texture, meaty with little juice, tasty, sheer melon flesh, highly resistant to fungal diseases and viruses. The variety isn’t stable yet, so individual plants might throw similar but different shapes.<\/p>\n

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Sha_iri \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,426 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Elena, hoping you’ll save seeds from it? I’m collecting Dwarf varieties, and I don’t have this one yet. \ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Olena (Olga) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,007 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I got tempted by that description too and planted a bush, we’ll see what grows. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Anela (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,218 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kazan (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Also got tempted by the description (tasty and sweet), but Tatiana Kouchnareva’s database says https:\/\/tatianastomatobase.com\/wiki\/Dwarf_Shadow_Boxing (tart and sharp) \ud83e\udd37 . We’ll see what grows, planted it too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Elena_ (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Samara Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Elena, hoping you’ll save seeds from it? I’m collecting Dwarf varieties, and I don’t have this one yet. \ud83d\ude33<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ira, I’ll save some, I’m betting big on this one. Gorgeous as a seedling and in Kulik’s photos. It’s already blooming, but I can’t plant it out just yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Elena_ (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Samara Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I planted out 18 plants, all perfectly uniform, the second truss is starting to bloom. Second truss is 3 leaves up, which means it’s not strictly determinate, but it stays short because it’s so compact. Right now my plants are 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) tall with the second truss. The fruit has a purple tint so far:<\/p>\n

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Pani Tomat (Irina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Super-determinate, productive, taste isn’t bad, the coloring is definitely interesting, but it didn’t turn out like A.I. Kulik’s (seeds are from him). Out of 4 bushes, one has round fruits, the rest are oval:<\/p>\n

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salix (Iva) \u2b50 Pro Grower (631 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Super-determinate, productive, taste isn’t bad, the coloring is definitely interesting, but it didn’t turn out like A.I. Kulik’s (seeds are from him). Out of 4 bushes, one has round fruits, the rest are oval:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Could you tell me how tall it eventually got? And do you think it’s good for pickling or canning?<\/p>\n

Edited August 18, 2015 by Drosera<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Pani Tomat (Irina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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No taller than 20 inches (50 cm). As for canning, we’ll test that out this winter \ud83d\ude42 \ud83c\udfa9<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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ElenaPr (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,433 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My dwarf. Beautiful and productive. Stood without staking at first, but then started falling over from the sheer amount of fruit. Seeds from Schastlivyi Sad.<\/p>\n

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The Segregation Issue<\/h3>\n
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Nadine (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (11,454 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Volgograd (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here’s the dwarf I grew from Kulik’s seeds, seems to match, flavor has no tartness, kinda reminds me of Amethyst Jewel. But I planted two bushes together outside in the dirt, and the second one is growing plain red ones, same shape and size, but just plain red, no stripes or gold, about 3 inches (8 cm) long. Gotta taste them to see if it’s just a regular red plum or if it still tastes like the Dwarf. The bushes aren’t super productive.<\/p>\n

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Pani Tomat (Irina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here’s the dwarf I grew from Kulik’s seeds, seems to match, flavor has no tartness, kinda reminds me of Amethyst Jewel. But I planted two bushes together outside in the dirt, and the second one is growing plain red ones, same shape and size, but just plain red, no stripes or gold, about 3 inches (8 cm) long. Gotta taste them to see if it’s just a regular red plum or if it still tastes like the Dwarf. The bushes aren’t super productive.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A.I. Kulik told me right away to plant multiple bushes because the variety is still segregating. I tried my best, planted 4 whole plants \ud83d\ude06 Same color across all of them, but shape-wise, one out of the 4 has little round balls. \ud83c\udfa9<\/p>\n

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mouse (Natalya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (317 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I grew 2 bushes of this Dwarf (seeds from Kulik). The fruits were uniform, very pretty, looked just like little eggplants at first, then got their stripes as they ripened. Liked the taste, firm flesh, and the plants themselves were impressive: sturdy and stocky, about 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) tall, healthy foliage, didn’t drop blossoms, very stress-tolerant. After growing them I really got an itch \ud83d\udc4b to try out other varieties from this series.<\/p>\n

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tomik (Tamara) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,337 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I’m looking at these photos, some are elongated, others are round \ud83d\ude42 Looks like two different varieties. Is it really segregating that much?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Alisa \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,406 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I’m looking at these photos, some are elongated, others are round \ud83d\ude42 Looks like two different varieties. Is it really segregating that much?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yep, all the vendors warn that segregation is still possible, since the variety was released very early. It probably reached your area at the F4-F5 generation. https:\/\/tatianastomatobase.com\/wiki\/Dwarf_Shadow_Boxing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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mouse (Natalya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (317 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Yeah, some of the tomatoes look completely different in both shape and color, and Tatiana’s catalog shows what looks like a totally different variety \ud83e\udd37. Mine, for instance, had absolutely no red in them. Can anyone tell me what the correct version is actually supposed to look like?<\/p>\n

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Alisa \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,406 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Can anyone tell me what the correct version is actually supposed to look like?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s too early to talk about a correct version, but I’ve seen ones like yours on American blogs and forums. Here’s the shape one guy had in 2012, he got seeds straight from Tom, the breeder: https:\/\/mostlytomatomania.blogspot.com\/2014\/04\/shadow-boxing-bred-by-tom-wagner.html<\/p>\n

In 2012-2014 it was segregating heavily. Here’s another blog with photos: https:\/\/mostlytomatomania.blogspot.com\/2014\/04\/dwarf-shadow-boxing-bred-by-tom-wagner.html<\/p>\n

You can see the difference in color and fruit shape. Tom released his so-called variety way too early. Looks like a lot of people got it at the F2-F3 stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Anela (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,218 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kazan (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My Dwarf Shadow Boxing grew in a pot outside.<\/p>\n

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mouse (Natalya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (317 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Elena, my version of this Dwarf looks a lot like yours \ud83d\udc4d. Whose are the round fruits? Or is that it too \ud83d\ude32?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Anela (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,218 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kazan (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Elena, my version of this Dwarf looks a lot like yours \ud83d\udc4d. Whose are the round fruits? Or is that it too \ud83d\ude32?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yep, that’s also Dwarf Shadow Boxing \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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cat2008 (Oksana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (5,827 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Grew it outdoors, very beautiful bushes, a real feast for the eyes \ud83d\udc4d Both plants produced completely identical tomatoes.<\/p>\n

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Ogorod Larionovykh (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (10,429 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My Shadow Boxing gave me three different variations:<\/p>\n

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Alisa \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,406 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Guys and gals! Over overseas they started distinguishing all these different shapes by adding “Type 1, 2, 3, 4…”<\/p>\n

One example from the link: rich flavor and extra sweetness
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So you can add your own labels for yourself (round, plum, etc).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lana_s_Kavkaza (Svetlana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (19,268 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Pyatigorsk (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mine turned out sweet and beautiful. Looked like black eggplants at first, then got striped.<\/p>\n

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Disease Resistance & Performance<\/h3>\n
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tomik (Tamara) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,337 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Man, I really loved this variety! \ud83d\udc4d Huge thanks to Natasha (mouse) for the seeds \ud83d\ude33 The bush grew outdoors, started fruiting pretty late, but in August it went crazy, I was picking tomatoes until mid-September. Height about 20 inches (50 cm). Green fruits ripened indoors perfectly and kept well. Tasty and sweet, firm. Very productive! And what I loved the most was that the plant didn’t catch any diseases! When late blight wiped out the other determinates growing right next to it, this variety didn’t even flinch.<\/p>\n

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ilja (Ilya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (758 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My Shadow Boxing segregated too. One plant had round fruits, the other had elongated ones. Based on my conditions, I’d classify it as mid-late season. Really liked the flavor. Sweet with fruity notes. Fruits were pretty meaty.<\/p>\n

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Etoile (Natalya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (114 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd St. Petersburg (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sowed it for the first time this year. Oddly enough, it took the longest to germinate. Is that normal for it? The other dwarfs popped up fast, but those seeds were from other collectors, while Shadow Boxing just sat there thinking about it for almost 10 days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I never noticed that with this variety. Most likely the seeds were just overly dried out, that’s all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Svetikk \u2b50 Pro Grower (29,400 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Shadow Boxing (Dwarf Shadow Boxing). Grew this variety twice – love it! \ud83d\udc4d First time in a pot (height up to 2 ft \/ 60 cm), second time in the greenhouse (up to 2.3 ft \/ 70 cm). Didn’t sucker it, productive and very tasty, with a little sweetness \ud83d\ude0b My version has round fruits with a little beak, weighing up to 2.5 oz (70 g). Tree-type, rugose leaf, like most “Dwarfs”.<\/p>\n

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inulik.k (Inna) \u2b50 Pro Grower (922 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Molodechno (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Productive, pretty little tomatoes, sat outside until the end of September.<\/p>\n

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Melisssa (Natalya) \u2b50 Newbie (87 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Weirdly enough, where it grew with the determinates it was a fat, sprawling bush, but where I stuck it among the indets it looked scrawny, they probably shaded it out. Overall though, beautiful, healthy, dark green foliage. Heavy yielder. Fruited over a long window for me. Plums with a sharp beak. Red with yellow stripes. Dark shoulders or flanks. Aromatic and sweet. Sold like hotcakes at the market! Definitely growing it again, even though I’m a big beefsteak kinda gal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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TatianaSh (Tatiana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (5,471 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Honestly, I didn’t get this variety. Beautiful, heavy-yielding – yes. But for me it ended up very late and tart. Grew it outdoors, didn’t want to waste greenhouse space on a shorty. Shape was round, like in Sveta’s photo. Couldn’t find a use for it. Nobody wanted to eat it. Won’t be growing it again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lisenok (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,219 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ryazan Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Shusha Kuznetsova (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (610 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Vladimir Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My dwarf. Sturdy little bush. Greenhouse. Forum seeds.<\/p>\n

Flavor is interesting, but not deep. Watery aftertaste.<\/p>\n

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Melisssa (Natalya) \u2b50 Newbie (87 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Planted them in pots this year. Either it was a crappy year, or they just didn’t like the pots, yields were pretty average. The plants are great, and the little tomatoes are top-notch in the looks department.<\/p>\n

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tomatinka (Vera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,911 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Tyumen Region (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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tomatinka (Vera) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,911 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
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Mine segregated the very first year I grew it. So I just keep growing both types.<\/p>\n

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Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Instability<\/h2>\n