To the plant, pollination is pollination. To the gardener who wants particular results (such as wanting to keep an heirloom variety pure), cross-pollination (cross-breeding) is something to avoid. To a grower or scientist who is trying to create a new variety, cross-pollination is desirable. It's all on your point of view. Like Dave said, some varieties are very genetically stable, like his Nantes carrots. Others, like curcubits, are notorious for cross-pollinating. If you're growing certain kinds of decorative gourds, and zucchini or other squashes, insects will cross-pollinate them very easily, and if you saved the seeds from your wonderful zucchini and planted them, they could end up being something almost unrecognizable and tasteless. "Does cross pollination always create a hybrid?" Yes and no. Technically, every pollinated plant is producing a hybrid, because every plant from every seed has a tiny, microscopic difference from the plant next to it, although it is, for most purposes, the same. Only cuttings, cloned or tissue-cultured plants are exactly the same as the parent stock. Plants labeled 'hybrids' have been crossed from plants with noticeably different qualities. If you crossed two of these 'hybrids', they would most likely revert back to the qualities of one or the other of the 'parents'. Granny Smith apples came from crabapples. If you planted a Granny Smith seed and nutured it for several years, you would probably end up with some sort of crabapple or similar variation. Two additional bits of info (just to confuse you a little more ;-) ): 1) You can be growing two similar plants near each other, but if they flower at different times, they won't (can't) cross-pollinate. Corn is a good example: there are early, mid-season and late varieties of corn. Corn cross-pollinates easily because it's wind-borne, but if they tassle (the 'flower') at different times and there is no other corn around (esp upwind), they won't cross. If Alfie's apples (above) needed a pollinator variety, and he accidentally planted a variety that bloomed a month after his Macintosh, he wouldn't get any apples. 2) OP varieties can be 'manipulated' even within the variety. You can have a packet of seed of a single variety of an OP plant, and each seed inside will have a tiny difference about it. Many people will grow a particular variety that they like, and they will watch for 'special' ones among that variety: a tiny bit earlier, a slightly larger fruit, a sweeter flavor, a slightly higher yield, etc, and they will mark it and let a few fruits of that plant mature and collect the seed. The next year, they plant that seed, and again look for 'special' plants. Every year, they keep doing this, and end up (hopefully) with localized variety within a named variety that is especially suited to their local conditions. It's still the same variety, it's still OP, it's just an improved variation within that variety. If you bought seeds from a grower in BC, and you bought the same variety from a grower in ON, the local seeds might produce plants that had a slight edge on local conditions, concerning earliness, adaptibility to hot summers, or ability to grow with a bit less water. The seeds from BC might adapt better to cooler summers, more humidity, and a longer season.

The reason Trospero suggested allowing the foil to warm to room temperatures before opening is to prevent it from forming water and spoiling the pollen. Once pollen gets wet, it's virtually impossible to use. Not that it may not be viable, but how do you properly spread it when it becomes paste? You want it to remain dry until it is applied. And, if your weather or house are rather humid, you may need to dry it two or three days until you can see pollen dust releasing from the anthers. We've had a few periods of humidity this spring and anthers required noticeably longer to release pollen during those periods. Good luck! Kim

Hi Christy, So sorry about my not coming back to the forum in awhile! Anyway, I got my book out and let's see... Carrots cross very easily even with wild carrot aka Queen Anne's Lace! Radishes cross pollinate with each other very easily. Basils will cross pollinate, but if you can keep the varieties 150 feet apart(much less distance than most plants need for isolation!)you will be ok. I double checked the eggplant. It seems the flowers are not very attractive to bees so that is why you've heard they won't cross pollinate. So they might, but chances are low like tomatoes. Bees do like peppers so they will cross easily like I said. I hope this helps you! Remy

the books say that insect pollination with tomatoes is almost imposable because of how the blossom is constructed. they are a self pollinating plant. you can cross pollinate them with a q-tip to breed a new type. i am not the expert but i save seed from tomatoes every year and they are true to type the next year. at least that is my experience. Dean PS i have some seven generation Anne Russian tomatoes. PS for better pollination i tap the supports for my tomato plant with a stick 2-3 time a week to vibrate the blossoms for better yields.