Green Sausage and Pick Out (accidental cross)

**Tom Wagner** · September 18, 2007

DSCN1269.jpg

I was walking with Matt of the SSE in Iowa last July, and came upon the increase block of Green Sausage tomato plants being grown for seed inventory. Since it is a variety I developed and sent the original seed to Holland in 1996 as Greensleeves, I was naturally intrigued.

I noticed all of the plants seemed to be the right size, shape of leaf, or so on, but this one plant stood out; it was much taller and the fruit were developing much different. I told Matt that he shouldn't save seed from this plant for stockpiling in the SSE seed bank. I also told him it was an obvious outcross or hybrid, as the leaves were slightly slender as Green Sausage plants had but still wider than the true OP would be. Matt was about to pull the plant out, and I said, 'Whoa, could I have the fruits from that plant instead?"

Well, lo and behold, he sent the fruits to me along with some the Green Sausage fruits. Thanks, Matt!!

The thumbnail above will illustrate the differences of the original Green Sausage and the obvious hybrid.

The hybrid was assuredly later in maturity than the parent. The fruits of Green Sausage are past their prime and shriveling a bit. The stripes are not real evident here, and I recall the last fruits to develop did not have the vivid stripes as the early fruit sets had.

The new hybrid is brownish is color, which is rather typical of green flesh X unknown hybrids. The flavor is somewhat like the Green Sausage, not super but not bad either.

The segregation in the F-2 generation will give me some opportunities in life's travels with gene sorting to develop some new types. The best one to look like Green Sausage (Greensleeves) will be called Lady Green Sleeves.

The one that segregates the most from the prototypical Green Sausage will be called Anne Boleyn.

Hopefully, Anne Boleyn will match the suitor of this promiscuous Green Sleeves tomato. I may even hazard a guess as to the male parent, and if I think it is a rather large fruited variety, I will call another, this opposition variety, as King Henry VIII.

Why did I originally call the Green Sausage tomato Greensleeves?
It has to do with the color of the Lady Green Sleeves getting her name from the grass stains on her sleeves from a rather unmentionable rendezvous. With this stigma attached, the Lady, and other ladies, were required to wear the green sleeves as a professional label. I hope this accidental cross I've shown here does not suggest a tendency toward indigressions of the Greensleeves tomatoes.

Greensleeves grows quite close to the ground, with a fair amount of foliage for a small compact vine. It grows so fast that the fruits get green streaks of stain on their sleeves.

Tom Wagner
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September 18, 2007	#1
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Green Sausage and Pick Out (accidental cross) DSCN1269.jpg I was walking with Matt of the SSE in Iowa last July, and came upon the increase block of Green Sausage tomato plants being grown for seed inventory. Since it is a variety I developed and sent the original seed to Holland in 1996 as Greensleeves, I was naturally intrigued. I noticed all of the plants seemed to be the right size, shape of leaf, or so on, but this one plant stood out; it was much taller and the fruit were developing much different. I told Matt that he shouldn't save seed from this plant for stockpiling in the SSE seed bank. I also told him it was an obvious outcross or hybrid, as the leaves were slightly slender as Green Sausage plants had but still wider than the true OP would be. Matt was about to pull the plant out, and I said, *'Whoa, could I have the fruits from that plant instead?"* Well, lo and behold, he sent the fruits to me along with some the Green Sausage fruits. Thanks, Matt!! The thumbnail above will illustrate the differences of the original Green Sausage and the obvious hybrid. The hybrid was assuredly later in maturity than the parent. The fruits of Green Sausage are past their prime and shriveling a bit. The stripes are not real evident here, and I recall the last fruits to develop did not have the vivid stripes as the early fruit sets had. The new hybrid is brownish is color, which is rather typical of green flesh X unknown hybrids. The flavor is somewhat like the Green Sausage, not super but not bad either. The segregation in the F-2 generation will give me some opportunities in life's travels with gene sorting to develop some new types. The best one to look like Green Sausage (Greensleeves) will be called Lady Green Sleeves. The one that segregates the most from the prototypical Green Sausage will be called Anne Boleyn. Hopefully, Anne Boleyn will match the suitor of this promiscuous Green Sleeves tomato. I may even hazard a guess as to the male parent, and if I think it is a rather large fruited variety, I will call another, this opposition variety, as King Henry VIII. Why did I originally call the Green Sausage tomato Greensleeves? It has to do with the color of the Lady Green Sleeves getting her name from the grass stains on her sleeves from a rather unmentionable rendezvous. With this stigma attached, the Lady, and other ladies, were required to wear the green sleeves as a professional label. I hope this accidental cross I've shown here does not suggest a tendency toward indigressions of the Greensleeves tomatoes. Greensleeves grows quite close to the ground, with a fair amount of foliage for a small compact vine. It grows so fast that the fruits get green streaks of stain on their sleeves. Tom Wagner .