I guess I don't really understand heirloom tomatoes . . ?

[digitS']

If you are wondering where Bill posted that (including a great picture), here it is:

Bill's post on Jetstar

I am becoming very pleased with my harvest of Goddess melons from the garden . . . I was wondering about saving seeds. Nope, it is a hybrid.

There is something called "hybrid vigor." Mule owners have been taking advantage of that quality, forever. Of course, it doesn't have to be a hybrid between species - just a cross between two inbred lines.

Yes, I am happy with the melons that are showing up in the garden but I used to be very, very happy with the Honey Girl melons. Then, Burpee discontinued offering them . . . :/

I've got Gary O'Sena in the tomato patch & have harvest 1 tomato. There are lots on this big plant! Only that 1st tomato had a split - none of the next batch do. Gary O is a cross between Brandywine & Cherokee Purple. Yes, it was once a hybrid but has been "stabilized" so it is supposed to breed true. I am really looking forward to getting more fruits off that plant!

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

I save seeds from hybrids. They usually have cool progeny. Some of them I never will save from again though! Brandy Boy Tomato has an extinction gene in it.

Safeway's red cluster tomato is a good hybrid to save seed from. I think I'll grow melons next year, especially seed saved from some hybrid melons I got from Raley's grocery store, a very large white crenshaw, and a huge 15 pound greenish crenshaw. I might even cross them with some heirloom melons such as noir des carmes.

Years ago I saved seed from Patio tomato. When I grew them out I got a real cool assortment, including some that made mostly dwarf plants, but with one 30 inch stiff runner loaded with even better good sized red cherry tomatoes than the F1.

Juliet F1 is another great one to save seeds from. You get mostly Juliet type plants and tomatoes, but an assortment of pear and bell shaped tomatoes, very sweet and good, productive and healthy too. One of those was crossed with a hillbilly tomato, not one of the fancy hillbilly strains but a good old fashioned red one. Those were real good too.

 

[digitS']

It seems to me that my hands are a little large for hybridizing tomato flowers. The process may be quite simple but the flower is tiny!

People who do this plant breeding may have generations far beyond the offspring of original 1st cross. I suppose I could move to a climate where I could have 2 tomato generations each year but . . . I should live so long as to see some F12 offspring!! They haved crossed + crossed + crossed + until they've got a plant that appeals to them, or others. Maybe, many of those crosses have been to hybrids! The pedigree would be very complicated.

For someone with a backyard garden, it may be a fairly simple thing for them to see what they could do with 2 of their favorite varieties. I think that may have been what happened with Gary O. Gary has "sisters," too. I'm not quite sure how it worked out but Dora &, maybe, 1 or 2 others were derived from the crossing. Amazing to think what seed could be harbored inside a wonderful hybrid tomato that a gardener could produce on his or her own!

Here is a Guide from UCDavis (click) and if you go to the end and follow that kdcom.net link - you will find someone who has a passion for this sort of thing and spends quite a bit of time enjoying his hobby. He can also be found here: http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/

Steve :tools