Well since no one else chimed in I will. You will not get the Dona tomatoe you are used to growing from F1 seed. It does not matter if it was cross pollinated or not. A hybrid has a set of genes from each parent. The seeds you are going to plant will not have that genetic make up. You will get many variables some may be very good some may not be. But the random chance of getting the plant you are used to growing are very small. But heck plant some and see what you get.

I just did a quick google search,and Gary Ibsen from tomato fest says heirloom or at least op?
Another hit says there is an op version available?

Might be one option for you.

Mike

Seeds from an immature tomato are immature as well. You may get some viable seeds but the chances are less than ideal.

Mike be right- Tomatofest has the open pollinated Dona.
If you want to stay with the hybrid- Dona F1 is available at gardencityseeds.

Agree with all of the above but I find it surprising that you are so devoted to Dona. One reason for its unavailability is it unpopularity. There are SO many better and even more dependable varieties out there - many of them hybrids. It's time to move on to other varieties.

Dave

Thanks for the responses! Esp. helpful was the one about letting the fruit ripen before collecting seeds.

I know that the F1 won't be identical to the parent plant and that an OP Dona is available, but I'd like to see what I would get in an F1. I've read a few comments (on this forum and elsewhere) that the OP Dona is not as good as the original hybrid and that the F1 might be a better choice.

Dave - Although the Dona isn't my favorite for taste, I do think it tastes very good (and much better than the few other early tomatoes I've tried). What I really love about Dona Hybrid is its earliness, dependability, good production throughout the season, apparent disease resistance, decent size, and pleasing appearance. Another big plus that I just discovered since moving to the CA central valley is that it sets fruit well even in very in hot weather - summer temps often in the 100's. It keeps me in tomatoes while I'm waiting on my favorite late season varieties. I do try new varieties each year, but (until and if I find something better to fill the same "niche" in the tomato line-up) I think as long as I still have seeds, Dona will have a place in my garden. I AM very open to suggestions for a Dona "replacement" to try out next year (while still growing a Dona, of course). I do admit that the fact that Dona Hybrid seed is no longer available (for whatever reason), has a certain appeal to me LOL.

I think I'm esp. enthusiastic about it at the moment as I've just come in from the garden. I've got oodles of green Donas about to break, a good number of San Marzanos turning red, a couple of green tomatoes on my Marvel Stripe and Stump of the World, but not even a hint of a fruit forming on my other plants (AGG, NAR, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Giant Belgium, Hillbilly, Earl's Faux, Carbon, Cherokee Purple, Black from Tula, and Santa Clara Canner). I got a late start this year and I think most of the tomatoes shut down with the summer heat. But Dona's come through like a trooper!

Now I have to very sheepishly admit that I checked my seed supply again today and I have more DH seeds left that I thought and won't be running out for several more years! But I still want to try the F1 seeds and got some useful information from the various responses.

Anne

I know that the F1 won't be identical to the parent plant and that an OP Dona is available, but I'd like to see what I would get in an F1

The original Dona hybrid, because it is a hybrid, is an F1. Seeds from your Dona hybrid -- as well as the plants they produce -- are known as F2. [Seeds from the F2 will be F3, etc.]

You will often see hybrids advertised in seed catalogs as "(variety name) F1."

Very Interesting - I didn't know that! Reimer's (sp?) has an F1 but I have heard that they don't have the greatest reputation.

Anne

If nothing crosses in your garden this year, and you save Dona seeds, they will be F2. If you plant them next season, you can get just about anything! Most likely not Dona but maybe closer to the different parents of Dona. Maybe even a completely different tomato than Dona or the parents.

Hope this helps.

Have you searched for it? These may be very close. Someone with a good bit of room and several years may have grown them out and stabilized the strain ... it's tedious, but not impossible to do.

http://store.tomatofest.com/Dona_Tomato_Seeds_p/tf-0146.htm

http://www.tomatobabycompany.com/reds.htm