Anthony A. wrote:

My question is: will the smaller plants eventually bear much fruit?
Are the just lagging behind, and developing more slowly than their
sunny counterparts, or will they stay small and produce smaller yields?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Generally, the answer is that they will stay smaller and bear less
fruit. However, they may improve if they get more light as the summer
progresses and the relative position of the sun changes so that they
getless shade. They may also bear fruit for a longer season than the
larger plants, even if the fruit is smaller - something Mother Nature
seems to do to compensate for the poorer conditions. You might want to
see if you can prune the tree to lessen the shade.

Here in NJ, I've got tomatoes setting fruit for almost three weeks. Come
around August, I'm going to be the Queen of the Frozen 'Maters...