Questions about OP - tomatoes and others

13 years ago

OK, this may be a dumb question, but is OP a concern with current-year fruit (tomatoes, cukes, and peppers - I think peppers are a fruit)? I want to start some seeds of heirloom OP varieties, my cousin has some German Johnsons and Cherokee Purples from last year, we both want Brandywine as well this year. I don't think he had a problem with cross-pollination of the 2 last year (fruit looked true to me) but he says you have to isolate them (I don't know if that's what he did). I thought that was true only if you were saving seed? If we start from bought seed every year and don't save our own seed do we have to isolate just to get true fruit each year?

Same with cukes and peppers - I want to plant a French cornichon variety that is OP, and another (Little Leaf) that can be left covered if pollination might be a problem. Also sweet and hot peppers of varying heat - but all OP, I plan on overwintering the hot peppers in the house since they are also ornamental and will stay compact, so I won't have to start those again next year. But if I plant them (or grow them in pots) outside near each other or sweet peppers, will the peppers each year start tasting all the same?

Thanks

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Comments (6)

ribsyhuggins
13 years ago
flower pollenation has no effect on the current seasons crop, with the only exception being corn.
2ajsmama
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, no problems then. I will have to let my cousin know he doesn't have to isolate his anymore (if he did last year), and yippee! I can grow all these within a few feet of each other. I was worried that he'd have to grow one variety, I'd have to grow another near the house and a third in the back acreage if we wanted 3 (or more, the kids like the cherries) varieties!

Here's my Fedco "wish list" - any comments? Thinking about trellising everything (even the bell peppers) up on rebar laced with twine, the indies (and cukes) just sprawl so much. Are the Germans, Brandwines, and Cherokees just going to be too big for that? He grew some pretty big ones last year, though not as big as my Mr. Stripeys.

Pickling cukes - Little Leaf 1239LO H-19 OG (60 days) Fedco says these are good for slicing too

de Bourbonne (50 days) not OG cornichons - let grow for B&B too bitter for slicing

Sugar Ann Snap Pea OG (58 days)

Sweet Peppers - King of the North (70 days) 0.2g $1.20?

Pick up a few red and orange seedlings? (though the reds never turned last year - I think HD mislabeled them)

Hot peppers (grow on porch, move inside over winter?) - Hot Portugal OG (64 days)
Thai Hot OG 80K Scovilles(82 days)
Hinkelhatz OG (88 days)

Tomatoes - Glacier OG (56 days) - just b/c I want an early tom?

Pink Brandywine OG (82 days)

Cherry Toms - Gardener's Delight (68 days) not OG

Fargo Yellow Pear OG (82 days)?

Paste - Speckled Roman OG (85 days)(Fedco says these are better than Amish?)

Plus the German Johnson and Cherokee Purple he has from last year.

Thanks
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carolyn137
13 years ago
This being the tomato forum I'll only speak to tomatoes here.

Ribsy said that cross pollination is not a problem with the current years crop, except for corn, which is completely true.

However, if you plan to save seeds from the OP tomato varieties you're growing, there are some things for you to consider and if you go to the top of this first page and click on the FAQ , then scroll down to the article on How to PRevent Cross Pollination, it might be worth your while.

How pure you want your saved seed to be depends on what you want to use it for as in just home growing, trading seed or whatever.

If you don't plan to save seed from the fruits for use in future years then you can ignore what I just said above. LOL

Carolyn
2ajsmama
Original Author
13 years ago
Right now I don't plan on saving seed - we'll have seed left over next year if we like the varieties we plant this year. Plus we'll probably try some new ones. Once we find ones we like (and sell well - trying to bring back the family farm but need to clear a lot of brush and break new land - very rocky!), we might start saving seed.

Any comments on my "wish list"?
carolyn137
13 years ago
Sure, I'd be glad to comment on your tomato choices, but first a few questions.

It isn't clear to me whether it's you or your cousin who plan to sell fruits and whether you or he is the one raising them, and where specifically those fruits are going to be sold and how savvy the local population is in terms of tomatoes.

Meaning, do they expect mainly round reds or a few pinks, and what about the green when ripes and so called blacks and golds and orange varieties as well? Would they accept them?

And would most of the customers be buying fruits for fresh eating or canning or making sauce? it's good to know what your customer base is when selecting varieties, especially if you plan to sell to chefs or restaurants and the like/

And before promising X number or lbs of fruits to commercial places it's usually a good idea to trial the varieties for a summer so that you know what you might expect production wise for the future.

Carolyn
2ajsmama
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh, this is just for us - we'll plant as many as we can in the space we have, I'm on the waiting list for the farmer's market, so we'll sell excess there or I'll just can them. My family goes through a lot of salsa and spaghetti sauce. Once we find ones that *we* like (and customers like if we bring any to market), we'll continue to plant those, this year is a trial. But I am looking for salsa/sauce types, I used the Celebrity last year but am thinking paste type would be better. I don't waste anything, I made tomato juice from the "guts" after seeding and peeling for salsa, but it takes a lot of tomatoes (forget how many Celebrity) for 8C of solids.

New law in CT allows residential farmers to sell acidified foods w/o a commercial kitchen (or filing with FDA), but they're still working out the pH testing, food safety training, and record-keeping requirements so I don't know if I'll sell any canned goods this year. I have had requests for salsa and pickles, but this year's products might have to be for our own (and friends') use.

I was looking more for what does well in this area, and some opinions on taste, both for fresh eating and for salsa and sauce. If I say I like G. Johnsons, will Brandywine be good? Is Glacier early but tasteless? Is Speckled Roman tastier than Amish Paste? Are they too small to bother with after peeling and seeding, etc.?

Customers at this market are affluent and heirlooms seem to sell well but I don't even know if we'll be allowed to bring them in since there are already people selling them. We are looking more for a market for our berries (my cousins and I together) and my jams, acidified foods is possible/cost effective. My cousin (actually my uncle) grow PYO blueberries, I have wild blackberries and blueberries, and we all have grown large veggie gardens (that have supplied the extended family) in the past but nobody has ever marketed anything.

There is a town-sponsored CSA here that has asked me to supply produce/products but I said I can't promise 25 of something on Thursday and 25 more of the same thing on Saturday - again, they've got lots of veggies, they're not looking for another source for tomatoes (I'll ask if they want "sustainably-grown" heirlooms from organic seed next year, but I won't be certified) but they want berries, jam, jelly, salsa, pickles when/if possible.

Questions about OP - tomatoes and others

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ribsyhuggins

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Questions about OP - tomatoes and others

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ribsyhuggins

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carolyn137

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