From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Wixom MI.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=269280

This is how i think growers should label their tomato seeds. First with the weight and grower name and then the veriety name under it.

I also put the family tree to these seeds to show where they came from.

2/11/2017 2:49:58 PM

Wixom MI.

Sorry the 9 oz slammer was actuall 9.6 oz.

2/11/2017 6:23:05 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I don't think i will put variety down on my seed packages because i think variety is already a very blurred line and getting blurrier. But I will not send a seed out that is not in the database. If a grower wishes they should be able to look at the genetic history and then they can decide what variety that they want to call it.

2/12/2017 10:34:35 AM

Bloomington, IN USA

Bnot I understand your view because I read the other thread.
But I think you are looking at it from a "glass half empty " viewpoint.
You know the purported variety of the mother plant.
I think it is only common courtesy to list that.
If it is an open pollination, list that.
That is not difficult.
It is just the nature of the plant that it's not as easy to pollinate & protect a tomato bloom as it is an AG.
It looks to me that the people that are going to move giant tomatoes forward are those that are honestly listing the known data on their seed & starting to bag blossoms.

2/12/2017 11:30:34 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

Yes, i do know the purported variety of the mother plants I grow. Unless something changes ...having true selfed pollinations vs opens... I don't want to be a part of the slow slide to carrying forward variety names that are not true. Right now..i can not for sure say how many variety labels are incorrect. I just know that every year the percentage keeps getting higher. If growers can not control the pollinations..then they shouldn't care about variety.

2/12/2017 4:22:49 PM

Wixom MI.

The thing is i don't think that many if any growers have been propery protecting their tomatoes in the last 10 years so technically all your big zac's today should probably be call the big mutt instead ??? Lol....(0:

2/12/2017 4:52:05 PM

East Carbon, Utah

I think your labeling indicated at http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=269280 is a big step in the right direction. But in years past, I thought we had already established a clear and agreed upon naming convention - e.g.:

Big Zac (7.18 Harp 2009)(5.58 Timm 2008)

Where variety name is listed first, with weights, year of harvest, and parent clearly and consistently indicated (parents in the case of intentional crosses).

You do make a good point about potential crosses for open pollinated varieties, and those who have grown Big Zac for several years are well aware of both clear-skinned and yellow-skinned lines, as well as both compact and full sized vines. Since Big Zac was derived from a hybrid, this is not surprising. But it's still very helpful to know exactly what we are referring to - Big Zac (or derivative), MegaMarv (or derivative), etc. I think it would really muddy the waters if we drop the variety name, especially if we neglect to indicate the parent (or parents) as well.

2/28/2017 11:02:37 PM