Getting started hybridizing tomatoes

[willyb]

Hello all,

I am not new to tomatoes and have been a seed saver for years. I have had good luck with saving F1 seeds, the only difference I usualy see is less vigor.

This year I would like to have some fun cross pollenating. I am in Z3a and have a small greenhouse. Not sure what I want, but for starters something like big flavour, mid season, average to large fruits in that order.

Can any offer me some advice to get going from the plants that I have started? I have a mix of OP and F1. Still time for me to start more if needed.

Thanks,

Brad

Stupice
Bush Beefsteak
Harbinger
Bloody Butcher
Mortgage Lifter
Czech Select
Early Girl
Brookpact
Sweet One Million
Tumbler
Sungold
Mamma Mia
Super Italian Paste
Big Beef
Brandywine

[Tom Wagner]

Brad, I see that you are very new here. I would recommend reading or re-reading some older posts on hybridizing.

That said, your results will be better if you have two sowing dates for each variety. That allows for more opportunities for making crosses. An early potted Brandywine would have flowers more in the sequence of early bloomers that are potted up later.

What to hybridize first? Obviously the early bloomers will have pollen ready...so as long as two or more varieties are ready with flowers...that is your first series of crosses. Making hybrids are at once contingency and opportunity. It is a lot easier to cross the pollen parent to each of the other 14 varieties than it is to make 14 different crosses to one flower parent. The earliest plant should be crossed with everything else. The second most early to 13 varieties. Keep in mind that the late maturing...late flowering varieties may not take many crosses per vine. Therefore an early potted Brandywine could be crossed with each of the latter potted varieties.

Predetermine what variety you would like crossed to everything....that would be 14 crosses. The next most important would be crossed to 13 varieties. If you get all of those 27 crosses to take...consider yourself lucky. What is unlikely...is to make all the permutations of 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2, 1......making nearly 100 crosses with no reciprocals. Making that many crosses over a thirty day period is doable.

Bearing in mind that some of those hybrids are three-way and even four-way hybrids....those will have lots of diversity in the F-1 plants. What would be even more fun would be to have about 100 plants the next year...one seed or so from each of those hybrids and inter-mate (intermarry) these again. You may even wish to plant each of the original 15 to use in back-crosses such as (Stupice x Bloody Butcher) x Stupice. However imagine the interest folks would have of a (Brandywine x Bloody Butcher) x Stupice!!!!

For many years I would sow seed of those with the most complicated pedigree....such as as 16 way hybrid....and cross it up with something else with many parents. When I first came to California nearly 25 years ago I brought seed with me that had 95 different varieties in the pedigree. Fast forward til now in Washington....I would have to pull out my record books and count the most complicated pedigree lines for a full number of parents. The reason why those records are so important is that I name tomatoes once they reach a certain filial generation so that I don't have to write down the pedigree each time.

Tomato is almost a game of crossing, selfing, and crossing again. F-8 crossed to an F-2 is then selfed four generations and crossed to a old heirloom and then taking that to an F-17 before crossing it up again is but an example of some of my crossing.

I should have a motto like: LIVE LONG AND CROSS OFTEN.

Tom Wagner

[willyb]

Tom,

Thanks for the reply and good information, I see I have much to learn. I did not think about having two sewing dates for each variety, I have started two lots only, about 1/2 and 1/2 two weeks apart. Several of the lates are in the first lot, hopfully that will provide me with some crossing opportunities.


Brad

[travis]

From that list I'd start with Brandywine x Big Beef, and Mortgage Lifter x Big Beef.

[willyb]

Originally Posted by travis

From that list I'd start with Brandywine x Big Beef, and Mortgage Lifter x Big Beef.

Travis,

Thanks for your feedback! It's true, you Texans do like it big. I'm going to take your suggestion, I like big too. My season is a lil' short, I'll have to fool Mom nature some. It is do able. Big Beef just might give me the edge I need.

Cheers,

Brad