a close up:

have you grown sungold before and if so is this different than in other years?

Your plant looks healthy, I think before you know it - it will take off!

Well, your plant is BUSHY, therefore it cannot grow tall at the same time. Maybe it is SS's growth habit to be short and bushy. At any rate that plant shown in the picture looks fine to me for a 3 weeks old one.

I have grown SS before, they are indeterminate and grew about 5 feet in the raised beds and over 7 feet in the smart pots (no joke). The 1 SS in the smart pot is 3 times the size of the ones in the raised beds. Smart pots are the best. Just have a lot more time to observe this year. Maybe just slow to start.

I'm seeing the same thing on SS less the "bushy" - just not the normal height. WTS, I planted later than normal - on Memorial Day = 4 weeks ago. Normally, it grows to 7' or more, in ground, during the season. My plant seems healthy and starting to produce, so I'm not worried. I'm just north of you in Michigan.

I'm sure glad to hear I'm not the only one! My SS is only half the size of most all my other tomato plants - container, raised bed or out in the garden (b/c my wants were bigger than the raised bed LOL!!) I've grown SS before and it seems to me it was quicker to grow than it is so far this year. However mine is starting to set fruit so I'm not complaining!
Edie

From what I have seen in this area they start out bushy. Then they get taller, then more bushy. I have not grown them myself, though a couple of my friends at work are growing them this year. They looked like they were going to sprawl for the first month, and half. Then they took off up. Now they are going out again. Both plants I have seen did this.

Tottally not normal; the SunSugar plants should be twice the height of the other varieties from the getgo. I picked about 10 Qt. from mine tonight and yesterday I needed a ladder to clip the upper branches to stringline. Like mane cherry/grape varieties these are very tall growing plants.

As for your problem and that of others I really can't tell anything wrong except the comparative ht. you mention. Are you confident that you have SS and not a seed mixup?

bmoser

They were planted 4 weeks ago outside. I think I picked my first SS mid to end of July last year. Unless they there is a mix up, that would be very bad.

Mine is bushy and tall also. If I'm not careful, it looks like it could get out of control. Mine is in a smart pot also and it's very green and so far, very healthy and much more advanced than my other varieties.

They were planted 4 weeks ago outside

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That explains everything. 4 week from plant out is relatively a short time, considering that it take the plant about 10 days to get adjusted and start expanding root system.