Re: [tomato] Re: One wilting tomato plant
Margaret Lauterbach (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Mon, 08 Jun 1998 12:43:37 -0600
>snip>
>And a question for Margaret -- Are the OP varieties you mentioned (I
>confess, I'm not sure what open pollenation is) large tomatoes or are
>some cherries? I do agree with you about the "hybrid" seed issue. I
>gather my own seed every year and am often told "that's not supposed to
>work", but it's fun to experiment and so far the results have been good!
>
>I'm getting long-winded here! The iced-tea break is over -- better get
>back to the garden.
>
>Pat
>Zone 7, Maryland
>
The Gardeners Delight is an open-pollinated cherry tomato, and Black Krim,
Pruden's Purple, Watermelon Beefsteak and Dinner Plate are large tomatoes.
Dinner Plate allegedly is large enough to cover a dinner plate, but that's
an exaggeration. In my garden it looks like a partly deflated balloon, but
the flavor is outstanding. All of the above have outstanding flavor, the
Watermelon Beefsteak the poorest of the lot, and that's better than hybrid
beefsteaks IMO. Open pollinated means the flowers produce fruits that will
come true from seeds. Hybrids are cross-pollinated, so if you plant hybrid
seeds you may end up with a grandparent with a very tough hide, developed
for shipping (one with cannonball-itis). Or any other less than desirable
characteristic. Chuck Wyatt has different flavor favorites, undoubtedly,
but I'm sure he's familiar with those I've listed. You ought to break the
hybrid habit and at least try some OP tomatoes. There's a huge difference
in flavor. Margaret