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Garden Gate:  Seed Saving Question  |
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Bella
True Blue Farmgirl
274 Posts
Karen
USA
274 Posts |
 Posted - May 25 2012 : 12:07:12 PM
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An "expert" for Bonnie Plants told me that if I plant two different tomato varieties in my garden, say a German Johnson and a Cherokee Purple, that the seeds I save from those plants will never be true German Johnson or true Cherokee Purple. He said that they become hybrids. This disturbs me. I had been told to never plant hybrids in my garden because the cross pollination would mess up my herloom/organic plants and render the seeds unuseable. And, I also know to keep GMO plants out of my garden. If what this expert is telling me is true, this means that the only way I can save vegetable seeds that are true to that particular vegetable plant is to plant only one type of plant in my garden. I don't know what to believe. I sent an email to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, but would like to hear from my farm sisters on this subject. Thanks!
"Just living is not enough, said the butterfly. One must have freedom, sunshine and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson |
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2012 : 12:36:54 PM
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From what I've heard, and I'm no seed expert, the only way to get seeds from tomato plants and have them grow to be like their parent plants, is to grow non-hybrid tomatoes. Hybrid tomato seeds will not be like the parent plants. The plants will take after one breed or the other depending on what the parent plants were crossed with. It's like apple trees and roses. Most apple trees or rose bushes are grafted onto a root stem of another apple tree or rose bush that may not be the same breed. So, basically, you could have a Macintosh apple tree, but it might be grafted to a Wolf River stem or root system.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - May 28 2012 : 11:28:19 AM
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You have to consider what kind of vege plant you're dealin with and it's habits. Tomato plants are very nearly self pollinatin. They can cross pollinate, but must be very close together or have an excessive amount of insect activity.
I space my plants so that the ones I'm savin from are at least 10 feet apart and have always had really great results. I also have a variety of roma tomato that I created that I think is better than anything else. I saved seed from a plant that was way too close to a beefsteak variety. I got a few plants that produced large, heavy, somewhat drier than normal tomatoes. I loved them and only saved seed from those plants. I now have my very own variety that isn't available everywhere else!
The only plants to really worry about are those that don't self pollinate. Such as melons and squash.
That's just my opinion. I'm no expert. Just experienced a little.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - May 28 2012 : 11:30:21 AM
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By the way, you do know what an "expert" is right?
An "ex" is a has been, and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure.
I don't trust either one!!!!
LOL!!!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Bella
True Blue Farmgirl
274 Posts
Karen
USA
274 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2012 : 6:27:02 PM
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Hey Natesgirl,
I've never heard that definition before. Love it!!!
Karen
"Just living is not enough, said the butterfly. One must have freedom, sunshine and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson |
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2012 : 04:27:51 AM
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I grow 5 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes all in the same bed. Heirlooms are open-pollinated. I save the seeds and they are true to the parent. Go to www.seedsavers.org for more information.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
I am trying to be the person my dogs think I am.
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
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Garden Gate: Seed Saving Question |
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Seed Saving Question
