baymule
Garden Master
@Smart Red are you growing BSM this year?
Let's Talk About Heirloom Tomatoes
- Thread starter so lucky
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journey11
Garden Master
Google pulls several images of BSM with quite a bit of difference in the shade of red in the middle with some others being more colorful. I've had several heirlooms that were close, but not quite standard for type. It happens with chickens, so I imagine it happens a lot with tomatoes too. Variation develops as they've spread out and passed through several hands, maybe not being selected for the best specimen of the bunch sometimes. Sounds like the taste was a winner though!
Smart Red
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I tried starting them twice this year with no success from seeds I ordered in 2013. Now I am looking for the seed I saved myself in hopes of getting some growing or at least germinating so I know there is viable seed for next year.
Jared77
Garden Addicted
Journey is right. Too often people are not culling for quality it's all about quantity. I don't think it's intentional either but something many folks are not consciously doing.
Mind you anybody can reverse that trend and only save seed from the healthiest plants and from those plants select the best fruit produced that has outstanding flavor.
Mind you anybody can reverse that trend and only save seed from the healthiest plants and from those plants select the best fruit produced that has outstanding flavor.
digitS'
Garden Master
There are difficulties for small growers to deal with in selecting. How many plants do you have to choose from?
I've got quite a bit of room but about 30 varieties. I don't think I have as many as 4 of any heirloom ... the red, early Kellogg's Breakfast, I'm trying to work the kinks out of.
It is kinda silly out there! I'm harvesting tomatoes by the bucketful in August and September. I put one in my shirt pocket and it goes behind the pickup seat, maybe on a piece of paper with the variety name written on it.
Later, I can get that tomato into the house by itself. The good thing about the bother is that I know what it is, sampling is fun, and seed saving just amounts to making use of what is left on the cutting board
. Which fruit I saved may be coming from only one plant!
It would really help if the universities got into this sort of thing! They could be choosing from dozens of plants of the same variety. I wonder if there is any land-grant university that takes an interest in heirloom tomatoes?
Steve
I've got quite a bit of room but about 30 varieties. I don't think I have as many as 4 of any heirloom ... the red, early Kellogg's Breakfast, I'm trying to work the kinks out of.
It is kinda silly out there! I'm harvesting tomatoes by the bucketful in August and September. I put one in my shirt pocket and it goes behind the pickup seat, maybe on a piece of paper with the variety name written on it.
Later, I can get that tomato into the house by itself. The good thing about the bother is that I know what it is, sampling is fun, and seed saving just amounts to making use of what is left on the cutting board
. Which fruit I saved may be coming from only one plant!It would really help if the universities got into this sort of thing! They could be choosing from dozens of plants of the same variety. I wonder if there is any land-grant university that takes an interest in heirloom tomatoes?
Steve
journey11
Garden Master
There are difficulties for small growers to deal with in selecting. How many plants do you have to choose from?
I've got quite a bit of room but about 30 varieties. I don't think I have more than 4 of any heirloom ... the red, early Kellogg's Breakfast, I'm trying to work the kinks out of.
It is kinda silly out there! I'm harvesting tomatoes by the bucketful in August and September. I put one in my shirt pocket and it goes behind the pickup seat, maybe on a piece of paper with the variety name written on it.
Later, I can get that tomato into the house by itself. The good thing about the bother is that I know what it is, sampling is fun, and seed saving just amounts to making use of what is left on the cutting board
It would really help if the universities got into this sort of thing! They could be choosing from dozens of plants of the same variety. I wonder if there is any land-grant university that takes an interest in heirloom tomatoes?
Steve
The other problem for the small grower being who is going to eat ALL of those tomatoes?!
I've had years where I've been throwing tomatoes (and summer squash) at people as they run from my house. LOL
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
i wish UNH took on tomatoes like they do with other plants. they certainly have the greenhouse space for them!
baymule
Garden Master
I have a vivid mental image of people running screaming and ducking to avoid being splattered by tomatoes and squash launched from a catapult in your yard. A big lit up scoreboard with points-all awarded to Journey11, clearly the winner!The other problem for the small grower being who is going to eat ALL of those tomatoes?!
aftermidnight
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Smart Red, This is what I got from the Black Sea Man seed I bought, I can't remember where I bought my seed but my tomato looks like the one here http://solanaseeds.netfirms.com/TomatoesA-C.html I love the flavor and will definitely be growing it next year. This year I'm growing most of my tomatoes in buckets because of lack of space. Potting medium Sunshine Mix#4, maybe this makes a difference?
Annette
Annette
