Burpee....suspicious on some of their tomato names...

[ddsack]

Sitting back and waiting .....

[Zana]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Sitting back and waiting .....

Me too...but not holding my breath....

Zana

[Worth1]

I'm sitting on my hands.

worth

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by goodwin

Just a clarification...
Hybrid seeds or plants that you buy, such as Better Boy, are (almost always) F1s, or the first generation cross.

This is a false statement often touted in organic-lifestyle magazines and seed catalogs.

All tomatoes are hybrids. They have been doing this naturally in the wild for Eons. The native Americans (north and south) were cultivating them when Europeans arrived. The natives also had heirloom cultivars!

The Burpee Better Boy, Celebrity, etc. have been stable F7 hybrids for half a century. Since they are off patent, they are also now heirlooms.

Originally Posted by goodwin

Heirloom varieties are genetically stable and because the flowers are self-pollinated, the seed, in this case, reproduces true to type.

Seed sold in the U.S. as "heirloom" is required by law to reproduce true to type and further be "off patent". All of this arose almost a century ago in the case of an unscrupulous supply store selling patented F1 grain seed as "heirloom".

Just to make it more interesting, the original GMO Canola is now off-patent and it too is an heirloom, not to mention invasive in native wheat grasslands.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by Mischka

Burpee instructs their retailers to destroy seeds that haven't sold at the end of the season. They actually specify that the packets be exposed to water to do this. ...

There is a law in California and other states that seed lots be dated and may not be sold more than 1 year after the harvest year. The spirit of the law is to protect consumers from expired seed.

So for example, the seed packets and bags that I sell at my nursery are all marked "year 2012". If an inspector came through and found packets for sell with a prior year's date, the fine would be serious.

Some of California's agricultural went federal when the USDA statutes were overhauled a few years ago. I'm not sure if this is one of them.

[Wi-sunflower]

may not be sold more than 1 year after the harvest year.

I believe the law actually reads "1 year after the last germination test".

I regularly get seed packets for larger amounts that have stickers on stickers with updated germination test results.

There is a chart with the minimum % a seed type has to have to be sold commercially. I believe for tomatoes it's 85%.

Carol

[frogsleap farm]

Federal and State seed laws are generally designed to protect seed buyers via clear truth in labeling guidelines. Although state seed certification guidelines (seldom used in tomatoes) may require some minimum germination standards for Certified Seed, there is no minimum germination requirement for seed in general, as long as it is properly labeled with "current" germination test results. With proper storage most seed can maintain excellent quality for more than a year after seed harvest, and this is a common and accepted practice in the industry. Germination is usually checked annually.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by frogsleap farm

Federal and State seed laws are generally designed to protect seed buyers via clear truth in labeling guidelines. Although state seed certification guidelines (seldom used in tomatoes) may require some minimum germination standards for Certified Seed, there is no minimum germination requirement for seed in general, as long as it is properly labeled with "current" germination test results. With proper storage most seed can maintain excellent quality for more than a year after seed harvest, and this is a common and accepted practice in the industry. Germination is usually checked annually.

Very true. I have tomato seed stored for my nursery operation that maintains a 90% germination rate for 4 years. There are some herbs however that have almost zero viability after 2 years.

If you are in the business of commercial sale of seed -- especially in a physical store, then the laws in some states must be taken seriously. When the package has expired, you can donate the seeds for the use of a school, etc. Some wholesale seed suppliers have a rebate program for retail and agricultural suppliers. They essentially take care of the tax write-off for you and apply a credit to your re-order.

[nctomatoman]

It isn't even worth the efforts on the fingers to address the "posts in question".

By the way, to get back a bit on topic.....Burpee was indeed one of the great seed houses - their catalogs from the 1880s through the 1920s are absolutely wonderful. Along with Henderson, Maule, Salzer, Isbell, Buckbee, Ferry - oh, to be a gardener back then and be able to select from so many different sweet peas - available in individual colors!

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

It isn't even worth the efforts on the fingers to address the "posts in question"

Déjà vu

Dutch

[Cole_Robbie]

The 2014 Burpee Catalog has their "Supersteak Hybrid" on the cover, claiming to be the world's largest beefsteak tomato.

It's a fun catalog to read, because you get to guess what the varieties actually are. I am wondering if the Orange Wellington hybrid is actually BHN-871.

[drew51]

I'm surprised at what I'm reading. I agree the prices are high. But the company offers many very rare plants. hard to find, some exclusive. And certainly not fake. Like White D Pineberries, Double Gold and Crimson Night raspberries. Some of the sweet corns are awesome! With so many legit rare and exclusive plants and seeds, I don't get it? Plus like say Amish Paste, you would think you would sell more with that name then something nobody knows. I only buy unknown varieties that I see reviews on, or win awards etc.
I also am not fond of Gurneys and Henry Fields, both connected to Gardens Alive. They used to have really decent prices.Lately the prices have been going up and up! Here again though they manage to offer some extremely rare items. Items that interest me extremely like the Carmine Jewel tart cherry from the Romance series out of Canada. For a few years it was the only source. These plants were released in 2003 yet only 2 cultivars out of 7 or 8 are available in the USA. I'm so happy these nurseries at least offered it to those interested in such rare and awesome plants. This year Henry Fields is selling the first primocane black raspberry. Super expensive. I managed a 1/2 off coupon as I want that one. I read about the development of "Niwot" which they peg as "Sweet Repeat" The only company offering this brand new unique cultivar. I'm a raspberry freak, and grow many cultivars. This one has to be included it is way too cool and unique. The breeder found a chance primocane fruiting wild black raspberry plant in 1986, and crossed it with domestic types. it took years, the first result turned out to need pollination from another plant, so was rejected, and he went back and got it right with Niwot. 2014 will be the first release year and only available from Henry Fields at the moment. I'm sure this one will be all over eventually, but I can't wait! This plant took over 25 years to develop.

Here's a little write up from the breeder.
http://ptallman.home.comcast.net/~pt..._fbbrPT2A4.htm

[Cole_Robbie]

Gurney's has me hooked on their Double Delight pepper. I think it's just a Giant Marconi, but I have not grown two of them side by side yet to see.

[timeless]

I have grown Italian Ice and Snow White side-by-side.
They are the same exact thing.
Same harvest time, height, color, leaves, flavor.

I tried the same thing with Snow Berry, but I may have mis-labled the plants, so I will make no judgement....yet.
Next time I will double check my efforts. LOL

[Jkinzer4]

I grew Italian Ice last year.....did not taste like a tomato. It was like eating sugar.