New mystery tomato thread!

[habitat_gardener]

I've never used rooting hormone. I have a lot of success using my homemade compost, though I didn't have any on hand for the gojis and used regular garden soil. The secret is to strike lots and lots of cuttings.

Originally Posted by Tormato

Generic supermarket tomato is a no.

Burger King tomato depends on how acquired. Non-accidental direct seed saving from purchased meal is a no, unless seed found in non-tomato source, such as milkshake or fries. Dumpster "dipping" from another's meal is OK. My one time Burger King acquisition was by accident. One seed somehow squirted out of a (99 cent) Whopper, and hitched a ride home on my shirtsleeve, unbeknowced (is that a word?) to me. The plant produce large, hard, red, near- tasteless tomatoes.

If you can get seed directly off that costumed Burger King psycho-dude in those old commercials, you'd be most welcome to join the category.

Can you tell it's been a long rainy day in the garden, for me?

Gary

No, No, No. I don't understand the value of an accidentally acquired Burger King tomato seed versus a purposely acquired Burger King tomato seed. The seed is still a seed irregardless of how it is obtained. Wheres the beef?

I can't count the number of times I have unintentionally carried a tomato seed or mayonnaise dripping or a spot of grease dripped from a French Fry home on a new neck tie. (yes, I wore neck ties in my professional life) I never considered my accidental seed more worthy of propagation than the seeds carried home on a whopper in a bag.

I do believe this conversation has gone off track. It makes me ask the age old question asked almost every time I visit a Burger King. "Can I have onion rings with that burger instead of French Fries?

Ted

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by tedln

No, No, No. I don't understand the value of an accidentally acquired Burger King tomato seed versus a purposely acquired Burger King tomato seed. The seed is still a seed irregardless of how it is obtained. Wheres the beef?

I can't count the number of times I have unintentionally carried a tomato seed or mayonnaise dripping or a spot of grease dripped from a French Fry home on a new neck tie. (yes, I wore neck ties in my professional life) I never considered my accidental seed more worthy of propagation than the seeds carried home on a whopper in a bag.

I do believe this conversation has gone off track. It makes me ask the age old question asked almost every time I visit a Burger King. "Can I have onion rings with that burger instead of French Fries?

Ted

Instead of???

Around here, you get one or two accidental onion rings with your order of fries. The Burger King teens must be the McDonalds wash-outs.

There's just no mystery in a purposely acquired Burger King tomato seed. It's just too easy. The only thing easier is a supermarket tomato seed, and that's the biggest NO.

Originally Posted by Tormato

Instead of???

Around here, you get one or two accidental onion rings with your order of fries. The Burger King teens must be the McDonalds wash-outs.

There's just no mystery in a purposely acquired Burger King tomato seed. It's just too easy. The only thing easier is a supermarket tomato seed, and that's the biggest NO.

I had a friend who worked in a sewage treatment plant. Did you know the human digestive tract will not harm fresh tomato seeds. My friend harvested his spring seedlings from the drying beds where the future fertilizer was moved from the digesters. Those plants were indeed mystery tomatoes.

I win!

Ted

I figured out what one of the mystery plants growing in my compost pile is. Black Cherry and they really taste good. I can't remember any of my purposely grown Black Cherries tasting that good. Now I will wait to see if I can identify some of the other compost pile volunteers.

Ted

[discoprincess]

Walking around here in NYC, I note whenever I find an accidental tomato plant growing somewhere.

A couple of weeks ago I pulled up one that was growing in a crack in my building's (outdoor) parking lot.

So far it seems to be growing normally. I'm curious what kind of tomatoes it will produce (although I bet it won't be an heirloom).

I saw a few of other "volunteers" growing near where I work (one even had started to bloom), but I really don't have any more room.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Originally Posted by tedln

I had a friend who worked in a sewage treatment plant. Did you know the human digestive tract will not harm fresh tomato seeds. My friend harvested his spring seedlings from the drying beds where the future fertilizer was moved from the digesters. Those plants were indeed mystery tomatoes.

I win!

Ted

You win. Yuck!

[gggeek]

I had a volunteer show up in a long trough pot used for growing lettuce that I had filled with some random potting mix. I saved out the OP seeds last year and grew out a good number of the seedlings this year. There was a lot of suspect looking seedlings, but I settled on one seedling that looked solid. It is flowering now and the flower clusters are looking amazing: at least 20 flowers in the one cluster. Last years crop was full of small egg shaped fruits which very much reminded me of store-bought "grape" tomatoes here locally. A chipmunk at the 2012 parent plant though so I didn't get a full season with it. Hoping for better this year!

[discoprincess]

About three weeks ago I bought two seedlings at a stoop sale a couple of blocks away. I did ask what type of tomato it was, and the seller did not know. This was a rag-tag stoop sale where a number of items had been donated by people known by the people running the sale. All the seller could tell me was that he remembered the grower saying that these tomatoes could be grown indoors if one wanted to.

I am going to take him at his word. One is sitting outside on the balcony and the other is sitting in the windowsill. I may transplant them into a bigger pot soon (but not a 5-gallon container).

[VC Scott]

Two mysteries solved, one to go.

First mystery was a nursery plant that was marked Prudens Purple. It turned out to be regular leaf instead of potato leaf, the fruit was flat, heavily ruffled and near purple when ripe. Turned out to be Purple Calabash.

The second mystery is a volunteer that turned up in my rose garden. It is potato leaf, which means, based on the varieties I grew last year it was either Indian Stripe PL, Brandywine Cowlicks or Hillbilly PL. The fruit wasn't shape was too flat to be Indian Stripe, but I had to wait for the darned thing to blush before I knew for sure.

The mystery tomato is:

Hillbilly!!!

[PA_Julia]

I have had one growing for approx two months.

It is now setting fruit and TAADAAA!!! It's a cherry tomato plant!!