heirloom tomatoes

Ok, what's the difference between heirloom and regular tomatoes?

From my perspective "hype". The definition of "heirloom" varies quite a bit among users, but basically they are open pollinated tomatoes developed by amateur breeders. Some are touted as being grown by a particular family for generations. Some are known to have been recently developed, and there is a large group that have been imported from Eastern Europe and China since the fall of the iron curtain. Some folks include the older commercial open pollinated cultivars. The thing they all have in common is that they are open pollinated. The other option is cultivars developed by University breeding programs, and professional seed developers. A large percentage of these are hybrids, but since the enactment of Plant Variety Protection (PVP) an increasing number are open pollinated.

Open pollinated as opposed to what exactly? Human intervention? Why does open pollinating, according to the "hype", make these tomatoes "better"? Is it because its more natural and "organic"? I'd figured that heirloom were like the very original variety before hybrids or something(I understand most terminology loosely though....when I think hybrids, I think man made....). This year I have Ace 55(attempting from seed), cherry tomatoes(seed), Beefmaster(plants, just in case seeds don't work) and cherry tomatoes(in case seeds don't work). Have you grown any of these, farmerdill, and if so, what do you think of them?

Thanks for the info, as always!

Kristie

All cultivars, well almost all, there are genetic mutations, start with a hybrid. If you cross pollinate two cultivars (lets say a pink beefsteak ( Ponderosa) and a round red ( Rutgers). You get an F1 hybrid (we can call it Beefeater). Now if we save seeds, we are going to get a mix of Ponderosa, Rutgers and Beefeater. I we select and save the seed only from the Beefeater, for 6-7 generations. It will breed true and always produce the same plant. Won't be exactly the same as the first generation hybrid but once it reaches the point where it will replicate itself it is classified as open pollinated. Hybrids have three advantages and two of those go to the breeder. From a growers perspective, they have been more uniform and predictable. From the breeders view point, it is a quicker way to get a plant with desired characteristics on the market and since you can keep your breeding lines secret, Every Tom, Dick and Harry can't rip off your work. The PVP act now gives breeders roughly the equivalent fo copywrite protection.

I have grown Ace 55, which is a nice productive round red. Later season than many. grows a 4 ft, very bushy vine. open pollinated, A 1965 introduction from Asgrow (Seminis) Also Beefmaster, which is a hybrid version of the Red Ponderosa aka Beefsteak. It is ok, but I did not observe any advatages over the open pollinated Delicious under my conditions. It does have more disease resistance but I am not bothered by those particular diseases. Cherry tomatoes are usually productive, regardless of the cultivar.

Thanks for clarifying! How do you remember all that? A few people in the Beefmaster plantfile said it didn't have as much taste, so hopefully my little Aces grow up and give me some tomatoes too. Thanks so much for your help!

Kristie

A general assumption by most growers of Heritage Tomatoes is that back when they were developed major characteristics sought were flavor and producing over a long period while modern hybrids were mostly developed for apperance, a skin that would bruise less easily for shipping and to bear heavily at one time for easier harvesting. Also resistance to diseases found in commercial growing is included in some varieties of new hybrids which can be important to growers in some areas (not mine).

I'm trying some of the hybrids to find out if that is my experience.

It used to be Heritage Tomatoes had to come true from seed and be at least 50 years old. A lot of the newer ones that claim that designation are from other countries or developed to breed true with open polination and may not actually meat that definition--anymore it seems to be used for any open polinated variety whitch comes true from seed.

The advantage of coming true from seed is that you can save seed from a variety just making sure it is polinated by another of the same variety.

The disadvantage to commercial providers of seed is that same characteristic whitch means they can't depend on selling the seed for the variety year after year.

A story illustrating the utility of the hybrid tomatoes: I used to live in Sacramento, which has as nicknames "The Big Tomato" and "Holy Tomato". The tomato factories, like Contadina, Campbell's, and Heinz, accept tomatoes from the fields for only 6 weeks. Tomatoes that ripen before or after that window are ... garbage. There's a gleaners' cooperative now in Sac that goes through the fields after the 6 week window to harvest tomatoes for food pantries, if the owners permit.

Good Ole Sac...I am jelaous you are out..I so long to get out of the Sac area....

Giddymoon, wanna trade?

That's so cool about them letting people gleam the fields for the shelters :)

I'm growing a lot of heirlooms this year. I have ordered some plants and started many seeds. I bought my seeds from www.tomatofest.com At least I think that's what it was.

Suzi