Re: [tomato] Creating your own heirlooms?
EcuaOrq2@aol.com (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Wed, 31 Mar 1999 13:32:02 EST
> I would think that everyone on this NG is opposed to that
> kind of science-gone-berserk
I'd like to have some jumping genes from a spring buck or something so I can
play "above the net" a little more in volleyball! ;-}
>In my mind though, if you were successful and passed it on to your
>children, then it could become a family heirloom...er, never mind.
I don't necessarily put a date on heirlooms. An heirloom is something passed
down from one generation to the next, so theoretically if you got seeds from
your folks, they're family heirlooms. They had to start somewhere. As far as
breeding vs. selecting, all the tomatoes (and most other crops) we have today
were either selected for or hybridized in some way. It does help to get some
basic knowledge about the basic genetics and breeding of the plants before
just jumping in. I've created a number of orchid hybrids, and I feel proud of
some of them that got the best of their parents.
Alex