What are the odds?
 

Please excuse my newbie-ness as I am brand new to seed starting and heirloom tomatoes.

I recently purchased two packages of brand new seed called Tomato Rainbow Blend that contains 8 different heirloom varieties. I did not realize that the seeds of these different varieties would be mixed in together. To test the waters, I sowed one package 10 days ago just to see if I could do it. I also sowed a few Golden Queen and Yellow Pear seeds using the same growing medium.

The GQ and YP are up. Thus far, I've had zero percent germination with the other heirlooms.

And here is where the newbie-ness kicks in:

I did notice that all (ALL) of the Rainbow Blend seeds were MUCH darker than the GQ and YP, but I thought that was normal as the 'blend' contains seed for darker tomatoes like Cherokee Purple. One lonely little seed was orange and I thought it might be Nebraska Wedding. That didn't germinate either.

So, at the risk of sounding incredibly foolish (I like to think of it as hopeful!) is it possible to differentiate heirloom varieties by seed colour?

The second package also contains mostly darker seed.

Thanks for your patience.

Nope, PM me or EMAIL at [email]IMISSCOLO@aol.com[/email] and I will see if I can help you :wink:
If you are in Canada, YOU have some time to think about seeding.... a tad early for you unless you have a hot house?

Thanks IMISSCOLO. From my understanding, you're saying that it's pretty much impossible to distinguish darker varieties from the reds, pinks and yellows just by seed colour. I figured that it was a dumb question.

I don't have a hothouse, and it's way too early to start seed now. I just thought I'd try a few seeds to see if I could do it.

The whole package of the rainbow was started because I had read threads about the darker seed not being viable due to mistakes in the fermentation process. Some said that it might be a genetic trait. Thought I'd find out for myself. Now that it's done, I have come to the conclusion that I do not have a conclusion.

Now to order some seed from a REAL seed company, and not one of those big box stores......

The only dumb question is the unasked one. :wink:
Don't worry, we don't jump on people for trying to learn around here. :D

What Burpee is offering at Wal-Mart this time around is pitiful.

No Big Beef, no Brandy Boy. No Jet Star, Rutgers, Marglobe, etc. And they keep relabeling their "Brandywine hybrid" something different every year. First it was Red Brandywine hybrid, then it was Bucks County, now it's Little Brandywine. I'll just get the real thing from Victory Seeds thank you! I don't see a single tomato var in the smaller Burpee rack at Wal-Mart that I would recommend to a friend. And they want $1.50 or more per pack!!

Of course your mileage may vary and some people love the tomato vars they offer. I'm sure a fan of each variety in there will come forward and compliment them. ;)

(deleted re: heirloom mix)

If you have access to a Home Depot, at least they have the big Burpee and Ferry-Morse racks. Admitting that I have little to no growing experience with these, I will just say that the seed packets at HD that I would give to a friend are Brandywine (pink), Brandy Boy, Jet Star, Rutgers, Marglobe, Mortgage Lifter, and Sweet 100. While I was there, I did snatch up several packs of Brittle Wax yellow beans and Triumphe de Farcy french filet beans from the Burpee rack. Yum!

[quote=feldon27]While I was there, I did snatch up several packs of [b]Brittle Wax yellow beans [/b]and Triumphe de Farcy french filet beans from the Burpee rack. Yum![/quote]

Did you snatch up an extra pack of those Brittle Wax for Tom :P

My long term goal is to grow and save seed from 2-3 yellow wax [b]pole[/b] bean varieties and offer them in SSE. This forgotten chapter in bean development really appeals to me.

Gee Feldon, you get Burpee at WalMart?? AND Ferry-Morse? Lucky you. Up here, it's McKenzie Seed, and McKenzie seed only.
Their rainbow pack contains 8 heirloom varieties. Well, 7 really, Black Brandywine is not an heirloom, so I'm told.

I've found that quite a few of the American seed companies will not ship to Canada, and the Canadian seed companies do not carry a lot of the stock that you guys discuss in these forums. Sigh. C'est la vie, it sucks to be me.

But Feldon, I have a whole package of Rutgers.....will send in exchange for something pink and frilly.....

[quote=Dingbat]Gee Feldon, you get Burpee at WalMart?? AND Ferry-Morse? Lucky you. Up here, it's McKenzie Seed, and McKenzie seed only.
Their rainbow pack contains 8 heirloom varieties. Well, 7 really, Black Brandywine is not an heirloom, so I'm told.[/quote]
Well, as with most of these types of posts I make, I've got egg on my face. Did not know that Canada does not get Burpee. Well, there are quite a few Canada and Alaska growers here and I think most of the varieties we get excited about in Texas just are not appropriate for your climate. In your shoes, I'd stock up on varieties known for maturing and ripening earlier and probably investigate some of the Russian and Eastern European varieties.

[quote=Dingbat]But Feldon, I have a whole package of Rutgers.....will send in exchange for something pink and frilly.....[/quote]
I have no expertise on varieties that do well in Canada, despite being from a Canadian family. ;) I could only make feeble guesses which I'm sure would be corrected. ;)

I ordered seeds from Tomato Growers' Supply (TGS) last year and had good delivery experience, and I'm sure there are other seed suppliers who have no problem shipping to Canada. And I dare say TGS would have all the variety you like! Feldon's advice about Russian varieties is good advice and you would do well with some of them, but I really think there are not too many tomato varieties that would not give you pretty decent results where you are - (it I interpret GTA to mean Greater Toronto Area?

Feldon some days you really make me chuckle! ;)

It'll be an experiment for you Dingbat. In my lowly zone the first blooms fruit of Dr. Carolyn ripened about the same time those of mid to late varieties did (all seeds were started late but at the same time.....Black Cherry however germinated 3 weeks after all the others). I'm not sure if the 90's/low hundred with high humidity we had slowed down Dr. Carolyn/Black Cherry/etc or not but just before freeze-up I was eating just ripened fruit from early-mid to late season varieties(?!?!?) The only ones that ripened early (and kept producing here) were Silvery Fir Tree, Sun Gold and Stupice and a purchased, very early started, Delicious.

If you're from Toronto maybe you'll be lucky enough to get them in the ground early (and have blooms) before the humidity really moves in.

Feldon, no egg on your face. I really appreciate input from you as I've read many of your posts. For a second year gardener with the knowledge you've gained, I'm sure glad that I'm not your wife.
I did pick up a Siberian variety - Purple Prince. I know, I know...

gwnorth, yes, the GTA is the Greater Tarrannah Area. I did inquire about TGS, but they wouldn't send me a catalogue (catalog). (?) I'm sure that anything grown here would give much better yields than in Edmonton (please, no offense intended, I've got family there - spent a whole winter there one July) so I'd be very interested in what's on your list for 2007.

Lilypon, I've got Silvery Fir on order from a little place in Ontario called Terra Edibles, along with some other heirlooms. Don't know much about the company except that they have quite a few varieties that sound interesting, and that they no longer ship to the U.S. Sigh.

But anyway, I'm really thankful for ALL of your replies. Very informative and helpful lot you are.

And I've already met two and a half hosers!

LOLOLOLOL spent a whole winter there in July. ;)

Edmonton this year however had a very warm summer (for them) I know because another Edmontonian posts at another forum I do and she's threatening to run all her emission producing machinery up there to have global warming settle in above her. Since I boiled and fried in Southern SK........I want Edmonton to stay MUCH cooler (sorry gwnorth ;).

p.s. TGS is wonderful to Canadians (one or two work there) and their seed is very, very fresh. I phoned my order in and they only charged me the cheapest shipping available. No extra charges like many of the other companies use to rip off Canadians ie.Global shipping/UPS/ or just extremely high handling charges.

Last time I was in Edmonton in the winter, I didn't realize that you are supposed to plug in the engine warmer.

dcarch :oops:

dcarch so how many days did it take to warm it up???? ;)

dcarch, they're lying to you.
Those plugs are not for cars.

THEY'RE FOR TOMATOES!

You can tell Dingbat's from Toronto where winter, never, ever comes (and if it does they call in the Canadian Army ;). :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lilypon SCORES!!!!

Pretty cute! Wouldn't even occur to me that one could grow tomatoes in Sascratchyoura*s!

This has to be over now. Way off topic, and getting silly!
Maybe our fearless leader can start a new forum and call it something like "For Youse Hosers, Eh?"

Sandhill Preservation with over 400 tomato varieties listed also sends to Canada. Low prices, fresh seeds and a good reputation for seed purity, but not perfectr b'c no place selling OP seed is perfect.

About the dark colored seeds. For sure I've let some fermentations go too far, especially when I was still working and had problems, time wise, processing all the containers I'd set up. But even when the seeds were a darker brown the seed viability was OK.

It may be a different story if someone lets the liquid in the fermentation container get so low that the entire contents have dried out, but I've not done that.

Thank you for the tip on Sandhill Preservation, Carolyn! I have just now sent an e-mail to request a catalog. Should have plenty of time to order seed for this year.

Their home page was rather funny!

Should have plenty of time to order seed for this year.

*****

You should indeed. In years past Glenn and Linda have gotten behind in sending out orders but this year they have another person helping.

When you read at their site you'll not see the fact that this is primarily a hobby business, gasp, b'c Glenn has a full time job teaching HS Science.

And what was it that you found so funny at their home page? :)

Maybe the chicken logo? If so, when you read you'll also find out that they maintain a huge number of heirloom poultry. And I'm one who just loves to read about the Shmoos and other varieties but I'm not ordering poultry for my backyard. :lol:

I enjoyed the blurb under the heading "Patience". It's refreshing when a small company can 'tell it like it is'.
And they don't kill baby chicks.

But the cattle they're breeding at Heritage Farm is to die for.

The effort these places put into preserving plants and animals is mind boggling.

[quote=Lilypon]dcarch so how many days did it take to warm it up???? ;)[/quote]

Never mind the car. It took 3 days and one bottle of Glen Breton Rare to warm me up.

[quote=Dingbat]dcarch, they're lying to you.
Those plugs are not for cars.
THEY'RE FOR TOMATOES![/quote]

Q: “So why does an electric tomato hum? “
A: “Because it doesn’t remember the words.”

dcarch :wink:

That's a real groaner, dcarch.

Did you not notice the plugs hanging out of the front of the cars while you were crusin' down the Calgary Trail or the Whitemud? They make the cars look like they have tongues.

[quote=Dingbat]That's a real groaner, dcarch.

Did you not notice the plugs hanging out of the front of the cars while you were crusin' down the Calgary Trail or the Whitemud? They make the cars look like they have tongues.[/quote]

I did go to Calgary after Edmonton and ran into Al Duerr and his wife Kit.

dcarch

Sorry, a 747 just parted my hair.

"Al Duerr and his wife Kit"

Former Mayor of Calgary.

dcarch

Ahhh! I'd only know of them had Mr. Duerr sent in the army to clear snow. I understand that Edmonton is cutting back on the snow clearing of the side streets these past few years.
I sent my sister snow-shoes for Christmas.

Torontonians are a wee bit touchy (obviously ;)) about one certain mayor who hit the panic button quickly (soldiers were flown in from *all* across the country to shovel their *snow*). This is in a country that has snow from Oct to March.....except spoiled southern Ontario.



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