I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

Thanks!

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:16 +0100 (BST), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

Not worth the bother.

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

--
®óñ© © ²°°³

The message
from Ron Clark contains these words:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:16 +0100 (BST), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

Not worth the bother.

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

But you might just end up with something better.

Many years ago I bought some seedlings labelled 'Shirley cross'. I wish
I knew what they'd been crossed with as they were the best tomatoes I've
ever tasted.

To save seed, just take a few pips from a tomato and roll them about in
a bit of kitchen tissue, or better still, a piece of cloth.

Let them dry out, save them in a plastic bag and see how they do. But
don't rely on them - use them in addition to what you would normally
grow.

(I favour Ailsa Craig, Shirley & Alicante.)

--
Frère Jaques
They knocked the Bell down and erected a charade of pops.

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 17:48:52 +0100, Jaques d'Altrades
wrote:

The message
from Ron Clark contains these words:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:16 +0100 (BST), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

Not worth the bother.

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

But you might just end up with something better.

Many years ago I bought some seedlings labelled 'Shirley cross'. I wish
I knew what they'd been crossed with as they were the best tomatoes I've
ever tasted.

To save seed, just take a few pips from a tomato and roll them about in
a bit of kitchen tissue, or better still, a piece of cloth.

Let them dry out, save them in a plastic bag and see how they do. But
don't rely on them - use them in addition to what you would normally
grow.

(I favour Ailsa Craig, Shirley & Alicante.)

I'm growing Pineapple, Dombito, Supersweet 100, Golden Boy
and Aviro F1 Hybrid. The latter was originally Orange Plum and is
brilliant. Heavy cropper, disease-resistant, firm and very tasty.
(double the vitamins apparently)
[All greenhouse stuff, obviously]

--
®óñ© © ²°°³

I grew "Gardeners's Delight" last year, and saved the seeds from the
last tomato. This year I have four healthy sturdy plants producing
decent tomatoes from that seed; it worked for me. Maybe it's a question
of philosophy - your cottage gardener rarely bought seed, they saved it,
or propagated with cuttings etc.

Andy

"Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from Ron Clark contains these words:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:16 +0100 (BST), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

Not worth the bother.

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

But you might just end up with something better.

Many years ago I bought some seedlings labelled 'Shirley cross'. I wish
I knew what they'd been crossed with as they were the best tomatoes I've
ever tasted.

To save seed, just take a few pips from a tomato and roll them about in
a bit of kitchen tissue, or better still, a piece of cloth.

Let them dry out, save them in a plastic bag and see how they do. But
don't rely on them - use them in addition to what you would normally
grow.

(I favour Ailsa Craig, Shirley & Alicante.)

--
Frère Jaques
They knocked the Bell down and erected a charade of pops.

In article ,
(Ron Clark) wrote:

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

They were the only tomatoes in the garden flowering at the time so I'd
say it was likely.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:40 +0100 (BST), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

In article ,
(Ron Clark) wrote:

Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

They were the only tomatoes in the garden flowering at the time so I'd
say it was likely.

No harm in having a go anyway, but a packet of properly
prepared seed can't be that expensive.

--
®óñ© © ²°°³

"andrewpreece" wrote in message
...
I grew "Gardeners's Delight" last year, and saved the seeds from the
last tomato. This year I have four healthy sturdy plants producing
decent tomatoes from that seed; it worked for me. Maybe it's a question
of philosophy - your cottage gardener rarely bought seed, they saved it,
or propagated with cuttings etc.
But surely, they didn't have F1 hybrids to save the seed from.
My father used to save seed from one year to another and was successful with
all crops but they were mainly "generic" varieties.
Tony

In article ,
(Ron Clark) wrote:

but a packet of properly
prepared seed can't be that expensive.

Sure but finding them locally or mail order can be a lot more effort

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

Ron Clark wrote:

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

Caution: soapbox mode on:

Tomatoes are one of the best things for seed savers, because most varieties
do NOT readily cross-pollinate.
Having said that, I wouldn't bother with F1 hybrids, because you're not
likely to get something like the original. But open-pollinated types are
easy. One caveat: the older "potato leaved" types have more prominent
naughty bits and are more likely to snag a bit of the passing pollen. Most
others are pollinated before the flower even opens, and take real effort to
produce crosses.

Here's the easy way to produce masses of clean seed with little effort:

Take the pulp from a number of dead-ripe (or more!) tomatoes you want the
seeds from, and add an equal volume of water. Let it stand in a warm place
for a few days until it starts to ferment. Add lots of fresh water, swirl
the whole mess around, pouring off the pulp, etc. The good seeds will sink
to the bottom. When you've got them reasonably clean, spread the seeds out
in the big old strainer you bought for next to nothing at a garage sale (is
this a "boot sale" in British?) and let them dry. The fermentation breaks
down the gel coating and you'll get nice clean seeds that germinate well.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor with whatever other fermented products you
have on hand.

Cheers!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

Here's the easy way to produce masses of clean seed with little effort:

snip

So that means that if you are eating a very tasty tomato you can save
some of the seed and hope for the best, could be a fun thingy to do next
year.
This year I bought some seeds that were supposed to be tumblers and
planted them up into hanging baskets like I have done for years. They
grew and grew and it was soon obvious that they were not tumblers just
ord. toms of whatever variety I know not. They are however fruiting well
inspite of having very little to grow in :-)
kate

Ron Clark wrote:
: On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:16 +0100 (BST), (Steve
: Harris) wrote:

:I bought a "Red Alert" tomato seedling that has done quite well. Is it
:practicable to save the seed? If so, how?

: Not worth the bother.

: Are you sure the Red Alert seed was fertilised by Red Alert pollen?

: You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
: to breed true.

Au Contraire. I've saved Red Alert seed for at at least 5 generations
and the plants look the same and the fruit tastes the same. It's an
excellent outdoor bush variety, and early enough to get a reliable crop
even at 125m high near Wakefield.

I understand that modern tomatos are self pollinators - they tend to
pollinate themselves, hence strains tends to come true. That is why there
are so many tomato heirloom varieties.

I've just checked in my copy of the Seed Savers Handbook, Jeremy Cherfas,
Michel & Jude Fanton. They say "allow the fruit to ripen just beyond the
eating stage. Cut them open, squeeze out the jelly and seeds, putting the
seeds of one variety in a jar or bowl. If you are saving the seeds of a
dry, meaty tomato such as the excellent Italian plum you may have to add a
tiny amount of water.
Label the jars and leave in a warm spot for 2 to 3 days. If it is not
stirred, a mat will form on top and a beneficial fermentation will take
place, caused mostly by a microbe, Geotrichum candidum, acting on the
sticky gel that surrounds the seeds. Antibiotic activity deals with
diseases such as bacterial spot, speck and canker (tomato breeder M.
Courtney in Whealy, 1986, page 146). The only danger is inleaving the
fermentation process for too long, leading to premature germination.
After at least 3, but no more than 4, days scoop the fungal mat of the
top, add water and pour the lot thru' a sieve. Wash and rub the seeds
until clean."

Hope that helps.

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 10:07:18 +0100, Kate Morgan
wrote:

This year I bought some seeds that were supposed to be tumblers and
planted them up into hanging baskets like I have done for years. They
grew and grew and it was soon obvious that they were not tumblers just
ord. toms of whatever variety I know not. They are however fruiting well
inspite of having very little to grow in :-)

When we started eating this year's crop of greenhouse tomatoes
I threw out a few uneaten salad remnants on to a border outside the
back door. There is already a large seeding of 6 inch tomato plants
growing there. I've a mind to pot some up and grow them on in the
conservatory.


--
®óñ© © ²°°³

The message
from Ron Clark contains these words:

When we started eating this year's crop of greenhouse tomatoes
I threw out a few uneaten salad remnants on to a border outside the
back door. There is already a large seeding of 6 inch tomato plants
growing there. I've a mind to pot some up and grow them on in the
conservatory.

You might have trouble getting any fruit to ripen properly, as the
process is triggered by the shortening of daylight hours.

It might mean providing heat, and a daylight lamp programmed to molish
an artificial midsummer, and subsequent decline in daylight hours.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
horrid·squeak snailything zetnet·co·uk exchange d.p. with p to
reply.