Captain Lucky
Ananas Noire ( Black Pineapple)

Carolyn

If you've been saving seed from your own plants, it may be something called inbreeding depression, where multiple generations of plants that have self pollinated or pollinated within a very limited gene pool will eventually "wear out" and stop being productive.

While it generally takes longer for things like tomatoes to reach this state, if you got your seed from someone who was already close to the limit, you may have hit it.

If you've been buying fresh seed every year, it might be time to find another vendor.

It's true that inbreeding depression can occur with self pollination with some crops, such as corn,but inbreeding depression does not occur with our garden tomatoes, genus and species Solanum lycopersicon.And I mention that b/c not all Solanums are tomatoes.

Below I've linked to a general Google search about it. I think the faq Garden web is a good one and it's at the top of this first page under FAQ's as well.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: lack of inbreeding depression with tomatoes

I was under the impression that self pollinators like tomatoes had a much lower problem with it, but that it was not 100% eliminated?

Thanks folks!

I have been saving seeds from my Tie Dye plant and was all ready to reorder from the original source, but now I'm not so sure any more after seeing Carolyn's post.

I'll give Annas Noire another try this year. I tried it once a few years ago and wasn't that impressed with color, yield or taste, but it might have been a bad year and I was probably being unfair to it!

Are Captain Lucky seeds available commercially?

Thanks again,
Bart

Yes Bart, see link below. When searching for seed sources for varieties I think Tania's superb tomato data base is the place to go to first.

For the past couple of years the seeds have been shared between folks but for 2013 there are two places listed, one is Steve's Heritage seeds in CA and the other is Remy's Sample Seed Shop, where prices are lowest and she has some great other varieties as does Steve, who also lists a cousin of Captain Lucky called Serendipity.

There's a third place in CA where it's newly offered but I haven't bookmarked that one yet and it's not on Tania's list, but if you want to find it just go to Google and enter Fred Hempel Captain Lucky and see if you get lucky.

Fred has even mentioned it here at GW but as a green when ripe, which I and some others don't see the same way, but whatever.LOL

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Captain Lucky Sources

I'd love to get a colorful replacement (multi-color, not bicolor) that does better for me.Everett's Rusty Oxheart done did well for me in 2012 season. A multi-colored (inside and out) blunt heart-shaped mot with weights in the 7-14 oz range. I purchased mine from Diane's Seeds.

Reggie

Northern VA - have you considered Chocolate Stripes?

Given your name, if you are anywhere near Old Town Alexandria, head down to the farmers market off king street any saturday AM. There is a farmer who grows some funky looking Chocolate Stripes tomato. He grows them in a greenhouse, so they are available now. If you like em, save the seeds and you will be ready to go this season.

Thanks Carolyn! For some reason Tatitana's site is blocked from my work computer. She must have x-rated pictures of tomatoes on there somewhere!

;-)

This post was edited by bart1 on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 13:50

Bart, I have heard of others who have problems accessing sites from their work computers, Maybe b/c they want you to work and not play on the competer,ahem, which is what one person told me.

Try it at your home computer and see hoe it goes.

Tania blocks nothing and no, no porn tomatoes to be seen at her site. LOL

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn! For some reason Tatitana's site is blocked from my work computer. She must have x-rated pictures of tomatoes on there somewhere!

Well she does have pictures of her bare fruit everywhere you look. She really should cover those up. Make some tomato pasties. ;)

If that site's not tomato porn, I don't know what is....

Cdon -
Thanks for the suggestion and tip. Coincidentally, I've been growing Chocolate Stripes for a few years. I like that one for skin color, but it doesn't have the crazy color on the inside like some of the others.