The growth data is starting to become less meaningful as the plants become weighed down with fruit and slip down the stake or sag here and there; the gusts from thunderstorms bend them over a bit too. There as no vertical gain at all with 6 of the varieties, 5 grew 1 inch, 8 grew 2 inches, 2 grew 3 inches, 7 grew 4 inches, 3 grew 6 inches, 2 gained 7 inches, and one each grew 8 and 9 inches. For the most part, growth is on average a bit less than an inch per day - the plants are filling out horizontally, and expanding upward more slowly, in general.
The plant height ranges from 12 inches for the late re-rooted and replanted Rosella Crimson to 48 inches for Dwarf Beryl Beauty. In face, the five tallest plants right now are in the Sneezy family - Beryl joined by Jade Beauty, Summertime Gold, Summer Sweet Gold and Emerald Giant, the latter 4 at 46 inches tall. The Grumpy family are still in general the shortest, with Iditarod Red at 32 inches, Arctic Rose 30 inches, and Yukon Quest 22 inches.
I've picked ripe fruit from Dwarf Pink Passion (delicious - mild yet full flavored with a nice tart element - 4 ounce pink hearts), Perth Pride (5 ounce round smooth purple, yet to taste), Sarandipity (2 ounce round brown with vertical green stripes), Dwarf Jade Beauty (3 ounce green fleshed, clear skinned, just delicious!) and Dwarf Golden Heart (6 ounce medium yellow blunt heart, stolen/eaten by my dog Buddy when I mistakenly left the rear fence open!). Blushing is occurring on fruits on Bundaberg Rumball and Boronia, and they should be ripe in a few days. The plants in general are loading up nicely.
The two big issues so far are Fusarium Wilt on Dwarf Pink Passion, and another issue - yet to be confirmed - on Dwarf Wild Fred. Oh well....All others are perfectly healthy, and hopefully a slightly cooler stretch will keep things that way.
Here are a few select pictures. Top shows the state of the dwarfs today, the diseased Dwarf Pink Passion and Dwarf Wild Fred in the first row.
Second row has the blushing Boronia and Bundaberg Rumball, followed by a loaded Arctic Rose.
Then a line of three - the ripe Jade Beauty, nearly ripe Perth Pride, and Sarandipity.