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market-farming - RE: tomatoes- brandywine and a question of saving seed.

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  • From: Miranda Smith <Miranda.Smith AT creativehomeowner.com>
  • To: 'market farming' <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: tomatoes- brandywine and a question of saving seed.
  • Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 17:17:09 -0400


Yes, it's because of style length. But you can cloak the blossoms with
reemay --well before they are ready to open--and hand-pollinate with a tiny
little brush. That is easy to do and reliable. Use twist-ties to keep the
covers over the blossom cluster and re-cover them after you pollinate them.
Don't remove the covers until the petals fall. Then tie ribbon around the
stem to let yourself know which tomatoes were hand-pollinated.

Miranda

> ----------
> From: Scott Franzblau
> Reply To: market farming
> Sent: Tuesday, October 3, 2000 4:10 PM
> To: market farming
> Subject: re:tomatoes- brandywine and a question of saving seed.
>
> Yes, brandywines can be cracked, unsightly and unusual looking to
> consumers.
> Yes, they are disease prone. Yes, they will sell.
>
> We are able to sell half-rotting multi-pound brandywines FULL PRICE at
> Farmer's Markets to dedicated customers. Our only issue at markets on
> seacoast of NH is an oversupply of brandywines. Yes, sometimes I walk
> around market and can't believe how many people are growing brandywines,
> striped germans, and other big, unusual heirlooms. Still, they nearly
> always sell since everyone who I can convince to buy one comes back and
> makes a scene right there at the stand: "oh my god thank you for
> recommending this, this- what's its name again? tomato. I told my husband
>
> how enthusiastic you were and I just laughed. After eating it I can't
> believe that I laughed. What does heirloom mean again? I'll take 5 lbs."
>
> And we still sell out.
>
> You may want to try Prudence Purple, another great, large, pink tomato. I
>
>
> am almost positive that it is open-pollinated.
>
> We keep all our heirlooms seperate (by some distance) from the rest of
> our
> tomatoes and never pick the heirlooms before the hybrids from fear of
> passing on fungal spores. We have the luxury of having seperate fields.
>
> One question I have is about saving seeds from potato-leaf varieties such
> as
> brandywine. I half-remember reading that potato-leaf varieties are among
> the only group of tomatoes that you have to isolate from other tomato
> varieties in order to ensure pure seed. This is because the styles of all
>
> other tomatoes are long enough to keep the self-pollinating flowers
> isolated. Is this true? Tell me more.
>
> Scott Franzblau
> Heron Pond Farm
> South Hampton, NH
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