Mystery Tomato

[digitS']

I got another one!

Almost didn't post this picture. You can see that she isn't quite as strong as her neighbor - the normal leaf Early Girl. But, I thought about it and it pretty well confirms that I didn't screw up unless I somehow sprinkled seed from another variety into the EG packet!

These were sown about 2 weeks later than the plants in the 1st picture. So, mess up with stray seeds 2 different times? (I don't think so! ;o)

. . . in the Osborne Seed Company packet. Somehow.


♪ ♫ Blue Bayou, for absolutely no good reason

digitS'

 

[MotherBrugger]

I can't wait to see what they turn out to be! No way you made mistake, definitely different, in packet. Could it have accidentally blown by wind into seed planter?

 

[digitS']

My seed planter?

My seed planters are my 2 big, clumsy hands, Nichole .

Most likely, it is a mistake during packaging at the Osborne company. I'm sure that isn't uncommon to have contaminated tomato packets. It has probably happened to me several times and I just didn't notice with multiple varieties in my garden.

In the last few years, I have become curious about the hybridizing game. I don't mean doing it myself but the whole patenting of varieties grown from inbred lines. It seems possible (likely?) that hybrids may be grown from hybrids in these lines. In other words, there are crosses that are used for the parents.

So, I doubt that there are many simple crosses anymore -- Variety A is wonderful and appreciated and is crossed with another valued Variety B. Nah, probably some culinary useless varieties with pronounced disease resistance or early maturing or something used is a parent for Variety Bells&Whistles!

But I'm hoping that one from quite some time ago, like Early Girl, would have some "culinary useful" parents just kind of hidden away in some land of leprechauns and unicorns !

I will try to tell this briefly: I used to supply Dad's tomato patch and was growing a favorite "Sweet Chelsea" then. Volunteers work very poorly here - not a long enuf season for them. Dad had a volunteer in a really poor location - too little sun. He kept it and was quite enthusiastic that it might ripen fruit! It did!

Obviously, it was a Sweet Chelsea but SC a hybrid so . . ? Dad was disappointed because it was so familiar. I was delighted until I realized Dad's enthusiasm was deflated. . . Now, I ask myself why, why, why - didn't I take seed from that plant and grow them?? By now, probably 10 years later - this open-pollinated variety should be stabilized. And, I love Sweet Chelsea! It could have been "My Chelsea!"

Silly, huh? Yeah, but . . .

Steve

Edited to add: but i already have my roy orbison songs selected, if this 'mystery tomato' doesn't work out !

 

[MotherBrugger]

Not silly at all, I think it's a great idea. Especially since you already have the enthusiasm and most likely enough seed varieties to get going on such an endeavor. I can't wait to hear the end result of this story, and see the fruits these plants make.
edit: Lol, I have to put mine out in flats Steve, guess I kinda just assumed you were doing that. I forget some people can actually start theirs right in the earth. Must be nice

 

[digitS']

I want to share what may be a deepening mystery .

Four Months Have Passed:

Oxhearts!!

. . . at least, the first 2 fruits have that shape .

Once again, this isn't what I expected but there could be an environmental explanation. First off, the fruit look not at all like the Stupice I grew a few years ago. It seems that it is impossible that this is any kind of Brandywine so that leaves only Stupice as a potato-leaf variety carried by the supplier.

The environmental explanation? Perhaps it is just that these are the first fruits of the plant.

I saved the oldest of the 2 plants and gave the other to the neighbor. He promptly lost it amongst his tomatoes but I could likely search it out again. Early on, my plant had a lot of trouble with flea beetles. I might not have otherwise sprayed the tomatoes for these pests except that Mystery Girl was taking such a beating. That was weeks and weeks ago but the beetles may have set the plant back some.

No Early Girl has ripened yet. So, early - this one is!

Steve

 

[momofdrew]

I just came into this discussion and when I looked at the pics I thought Brandywine...I would say your supplier mixed the seeds...you may have to ask them...

 

[digitS']

Really Pam?

I've never grown Brandywines. Neither fruit weighs 3 ounces. The next group to ripen look to be about a 2 or 3 ounce size.

Wouldn't you expect something larger from a Brandywine?

Steve

 

[momofdrew]

yes closer to a pound for brandywine...and they are late to ripen

 

[lesa]

I would take any mystery tomato as long as it was ripe!!!! I have tons of greenies, and ripe cherries....waiting, waiting. Hope we don't have an early frost!

 

[digitS']

What if, during the hybridizing process, the stamens in a flower bud of the mother plant were overlooked and not removed?

Self-pollination would not have been prevented in that flower of the mother plant.

What if, fruit from that flower was harvested along with the fruit containing hybrids and the seed of all was extracted together?

It may have been impossible to know that there were seeds from the mother's line in with the hybrid seeds.


These are the fruits of the most-mature Early Girl plants in my garden. Notice the shape of the fruit on top. I am fairly sure that this happens with first fruits often, with this variety. These tomatoes are about twice the size of the mystery tomatoes.

DW & I ate the mystery fruits - after I'd saved 12 seeds . They tasted like EG's to me .

Steve

here is something about tomato hybridizing: http://www.avrdc.org/LC/tomato/seedhybrid.pdf