A Tomatoe children will love

OK today while wondering around the garden center at home depot i noticed an unusual tomatoe plant and to top it off it is an heirloom so i broke my rule of now transplants and splurged to get it i can always save the seeds for next year i snagged a picture of the label to post up because i think those of you that have children might want to show this to them cause its retty cool looking

I just saw those, too! I thought my kids would like them. I'm not sure they would eat them, though!!!

I beat you by a week. My Mr. Stripey (from Lowe's) was planted in my SFG last week. We'll have to compare notes throughout the season.

Oooh, competition. Sounds fun!

Ready, set, GROW

lol lowes didnt have this 1 i found it at home depot it hust looks like a real cool fruit. i usualy shop at lowes but when they didnt have what i needed i went across the street found what i needed (for next project) and meandered into their gardening dept. (no fly zone for me lol) and had to buy it the fact that its an heirloom pushed me over the edge

choksaw wrote: i can always save the seeds for next year

Would you mind offering a tutorial on how to save tomato seeds or point me in the right direction? I would love to try it!

This is from http://www.seedsavers.org:

HARVEST:
If possible, allow tomatoes to completely ripen before harvesting for seed production. Unripe fruits, saved from the first frost, will ripen slowly if kept in a cool, dry location. Seeds from green, unripe fruits will be most viable if extracted after allowing the fruits to turn color.

PROCESS:
Cut the tomato into halves at its equator, opening the vertical cavities that contain the seeds. Gently squeeze out from the cavities the jelly-like substance that contains the seeds. If done carefully, the tomato itself can still be eaten or saved for canning, sun-drying or dehydrating.

Place the jelly and seeds into a small jar or glass. (Add a little water if you are
processing only one or two small tomatoes.) Loosely cover the container and place in a warm location, 60-75° F. for about three days. Stir once a day. A layer of fungus will begin to appear on the top of the mixture after a couple of days. This fungus not only eats the gelatinous coat that surrounds each seed and prevents germination, it also produces antibiotics that help to control seed-borne diseases like bacterial spot, canker and speck.

After three days fill the seed container with warm water. Let the contents settle and begin pouring out the water along with pieces of tomato pulp and immature seeds floating on top. Note: Viable seeds are heavier and settle to the bottom of the jar. Repeat this process until water being poured out is almost clear and clean seeds line the bottom of the container. Pour these clean seeds into a strainer that has holes smaller than the seeds. Let the excess water drip out and invert the strainer onto paper towel or piece of newspaper. Allow the seeds to dry completely (usually a day or two). Break up the clumps into individual seeds, label and store in
a packet or plastic bag.

I started my tomatoes this year from seed I saved (West Virginia Centennials, a.k.a. WV 63). They now almost all have their first set of true leaves. I have a whole flat -- starting them for family too! I've also started some paste tomatoes (Opalka) from seed I ordered. Next year I'll have both. :o)

I'm keeping them on opposite sides of my SFG area. I hope they are far enough apart!

Patti

Choksaw, I saw those tomatoes being raised at Hydro Harvest Farms in Ruskin a couple of years ago. (Hydro Harvest is a small vertical hydroponic farm -- very, very interesting stuff!)

Pretty tasty, if I recall.

www.hydroharvestfarms.com

That's very interesting - thanks for the instructions!

I hadn't thought about cross-polination. I'm growing many varieties this summer and they'll be close to one-another. Bummer!

Harvesting tomatoe seeds is very easy provided you care to lose 1 to the process or maybe make some sauce with it

1. Cut the tomatoe in half
2. Squeeze out all the seeds from inside (this can be messy)
3. place all the seeds in a dish or glass of water for roughly 24 to 36 hours
(or until seed gel coating has dissolved)
4. remove seeds from water
5. place seeds in folded paper towel and pat dry
6. place them in an opaque container in a dry location and allow them to dry (time frame varies on location)
7. seal in an envelope for next season

it was a trial and error process for me to learn how to do this i looked up alot of information and 6 tomatoe mushs later i was finaly successful too bad the roof in my shed sprang a leak and ruined most of my seeds from last season i wa slucky and able to slavage 4 that are growing nicely as we speak.

also note that seed saveing can only be done with hierloom variety plants if you try with a hybrid the seed will revert back to the dominant parent plant and not produce the same as the plant you saved the seeds from.

choksaw wrote:Harvesting tomatoe seeds is very easy provided you care to lose 1 to the process or maybe make some sauce with it

1. Cut the tomatoe in half
2. Squeeze out all the seeds from inside (this can be messy)
3. place all the seeds in a dish or glass of water for roughly 24 to 36 hours
(or until seed gel coating has dissolved)
4. remove seeds from water
5. place seeds in folded paper towel and pat dry
6. place them in an opaque container in a dry location and allow them to dry (time frame varies on location)
7. seal in an envelope for next season

it was a trial and error process for me to learn how to do this i looked up alot of information and 6 tomatoe mushs later i was finaly successful too bad the roof in my shed sprang a leak and ruined most of my seeds from last season i wa slucky and able to slavage 4 that are growing nicely as we speak.

also note that seed saveing can only be done with hierloom variety plants if you try with a hybrid the seed will revert back to the dominant parent plant and not produce the same as the plant you saved the seeds from.

Do you agree that cross-polination is a potential issue? I'll be growing about 9 squares with about 8 varieties...mostly heirloom, I think.

I've got some Red Lightning hybrid tomato seeds I started this year. They are even more striped that the Mr. Stripey. I'll let yall know how they turn out.

bonnie0128 wrote:
Do you agree that cross-polination is a potential issue? I'll be growing about 9 squares with about 8 varieties...mostly heirloom, I think.

According to http://www.seedsavers.org/instructions.htm#tomato
"Saving Seed: Cross-pollination between modern tomato varieties seldom occurs, except in potato leaf varieties which should be separated by the length of the garden. Do not save seeds from double fruits or from the first fruits of large-fruited varieties. Pick at least one ripe fruit from each of several plants. Squeeze seeds and juice into a strainer and wash, spread on a paper plate and dry."

This site says tomatoes are self pollinating - but then give an isolation distance of 25'-100'
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/seed_saving.htm

Peppers however DO cross pollinate (this came up on another thread). The link above recommends a distance of 500' between varieties. "Saving Seed: Peppers will cross-pollinate, so separate by at least 500' or plant in insect-proof cages covered with window screen. Select peppers that are ripe, fully colored and show no signs of disease to save for seed. Remove seeds off core and place on a paper plate to dry."

A bit more from http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/seed_saving.htm
Open-pollinated varieties will grow true to type when randomly mated within their own variety. Seed saved from these plants will breed true, provided the plants have been properly isolated from different varieties of the same species.

Hybrid varieties are those produced from the crossing of two different inbred lines. Seed saved from hybrid varieties will not breed true in the next generation.

Amongst open-pollinated plants, self-pollinated (selfers) usually reproduce by using their own pollen. Crossers usually reproduce through the transfer of pollen from one plant to a different plant of the same species.

Sorry... I've been interested by this thread and have done some research.

This link explains the whole tomato pollinating process:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2005025852004159.html

If tomato varieties are planted in close proximity, pollen from one variety can land on the female part of a blossom, the stigma, of a different variety and lead to some or all hybrid seeds being formed in that fruit. This is commonly referred to as a "cross-pollination" or simply as a "cross." When cross-pollination occurs, the fruit will look perfectly normal in the current season; however, the resulting seeds carry genes from each parent and will produce varying progeny in subsequent generations.

Here's another informative site: http://www.kokopelli-seed-foundation.com/tomatoes.html

The level of cross-pollination between tomatoes is dependent upon a number of parameters.

Hope this helps.

wow Tim awesome research very informative wish i had found some of that befor i destroyed 6 tomatoes learning lol

wildbill i saw those lightning tomatoes as well but steered away from them simply because they were a hybrid and i plan on saveing the seeds all research shows that hybrid seeds that are harvested will not grow true they will revert back to the dominant parent plant

True on the hybrid. But I like some hybrids out there and this one peaked my interest. I love the Parks Whopper hybrid... very flavorful tomato.

From: http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/beginner.html#anchor005

PLANT:
Separate varieties with short styles (most modern varieties) by at least 10 feet. Varieties with long styles (heirlooms and older varieties) need at least 100 feet to ensure purity. If solitary bees are prevalent, separate all varieties at least 100 feet and place another flowering crop between.
FLOWER: Tomatoes produce perfect, self-pollinating flowers. Anthers are fused together into a little cone that rarely opens until pollen has been shed and the stigma pollinated. (Older varieties with wild tomatoes or L. pimpinellifolium in their genetic ancestry may have stigmas that stick out beyond the cone containing the anthers. Varieties with this trait can be identified by looking closely at mature flowers and need to be treated accordingly.)

When I pasted the above text, an image came with it. Not sure it will come through.
Patti

Great find pattie and yes the picture came through . I knew that tomatoes were self pollinating but this explained how and why

side note if your not sure something is going to post the way you want it to hit the preview tab and it will mock post it so you can see what it will look like befor its posted to forum and make any corrections/changes befor the true post goes up

I had heard of the 10' rule for tomatoes to avoid cross-polination, but not the 100'! But since I am planting 12 different varieties within a 25' area, I don't think I'll be collecting seeds anyway. A good source of heirloom tomato seeds is www.wintersown.org. They have a tremendous variety. Send a SASE for 5 varieties, or send a $5.00 donation and you can choose 10 different varieties -- about a dozen seeds of each. I sowed 6 seeds each of 10 different varieties and ended up with between 3 and 6 plants of each. Not bad for free seeds.

heading to home depot tomorrow to find this tomato. My daughter will love it and now I know how to help her save seeds too cool.

found mr. stripey and a few other cool heirlooms at walmart for only $3 and they will gurantee they grow or money back, great deal.

Thanks for the fun tomato suggestion. It looks really fun!

My kid's started a yellow and a green tomato from seed and although the seedlings looked a little pathetic, they insisted that they go into the garden. I suspect that they will jump at the idea of a striped tomato.