rosella purple

[TightenUp]

how tall will this plant get and does in need cage/stake?

[WVTomatoMan]

Mine got around 4 ft. or so I guess. I didn't really measure. I grow Rosella Purple in containers and I use cages. The cages are the round ones that I use for peppers and eggplants - they aren't suited for regular sized indeterminates. The fruit can get to be decent sized which is surpising for a dwarf. The flavor is quite good - similar to Cherokee Purple. I don't have pictures at work - I'll check at home. I have some growing in containers as I type this.

Randy

[TightenUp]

thanks! i'm planting out today and trying to map out the garden. i can't believe i waited so long to figure out where my plants are going. this is my first year with a dwarf in the garden and also have some new determinate and semi determinate plants that i acquired from a generous member here.

thanks again for your help and anyone else with rosella purple experience feel free to chime in

[ddsack]

It should top out at no more than 4 ft, most of my RP's have been more like 3 or 3 1/2 ft. But be sure to give it good support when it sets fruit, because the weight of the fruit clusters will kink down the branches. I have had some dwarf project plants get to 5 ft, but those were usually stringy because of shadier conditions.

[Alfredo]

Hey TightenUp, WvTomatoman and ddsack are right, you definitely should put a cage or stake/support of some sort on the Dwarf Rosella Purple. I had a few Rosella Purple plants last season, and one of them snapped in half from the weight of the tomatoes on it! Great tasting tomato though...I have a couple growing again this year now.

You're setting out your tomato plants already? Nice...I'm going to wait a few more days...I saw Sunday-Tuesdays low temps being in the high 30's to early 40's over here in Clifton, NJ... so going to wait for that to pass. ~Alfredo

[TightenUp]

thats all!!!

plants are now in the garden and the rosella purple plants got a nice 4 foot round cage. everything looks great

[WVTomatoMan]

Perhaps a bit late, but here are some pictures that may help.

DSC00911.JPG = Me standing behind Rosella Purple and Perth Pride 5/24/12

DSC01024.JPG = Rosella Purple and Perth Pride 7/26/12. Need the table for support because the plants have outgrown the cages.

IMAG0301.jpg = 3 Rosella Purple plants in the foreground 5/13/13.

BTW, good flavor reminiscent of Cherokee Purple. The plant and fruit are fairly large for a dwarf.

Good luck.

Randy

[COMPOSTER]

Great pictures WVTomatoMan! I'm growing several Rosella Purples for the fist time this year and like how you have yours set up. I think I will be a copy cat.

Thanks,
Glenn

[TightenUp]

thats fantastic. hope my plants look like that in a few months.

[lakelady]

I've grown probably a dozen different dwarfs from the project and all of them do require some sort of staking or caging. None of mine have ever gone taller than 3' or thereabouts in ground, but they do get very round and full once they are going strong. I found they got bigger (fatter) in the ground than in containers.