Cherry Falls -- origin?
 

I'm trying to find out where Cherry Falls came from -- bred by someone?

None of the seed catalogs give any info.
Some catalogs say it's a hybrid, others OP, still others don't say.
Some growers say the saved seeds don't breed true.

I found threads on it as far back as 2011 and 2013 here -- just grow lists and seeds for trade, though.

Following a possible lead, I asked Jim Myers at OSU, and he said it's not one of his.

If you grew it a decade ago, do you recall any details about its origin?

This source says the breeder was Floranova/Vegetalis:
[URL="http://trialgardens.raker.com/trial-data/trial-detail/2011/3191"]http://trialgardens.raker.com/trial-dat ... /2011/3191[/URL]

And it's in this 2013-2014 Vegetalis/Floranova catalog of varieties, along with other familiar names like Tumbling Tom, Tumbling Tiger and Totem:
[URL="https://issuu.com/rcockburn/docs/vegetalis_catalogue_2013-14"]https://issuu.com/rcockburn/docs/vegeta ... ue_2013-14[/URL]

And this newspaper article describes Vegetalis as a breeder of trailing and patio tomatoes and other vegetables:
[URL="https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/patio-edible-tumbling-tom-red/"]https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/article ... g-tom-red/[/URL]

VirginiaClay, thank you so much!

I chose this variety for our master gardener seedling sale because I thought it was a fairly well-established variety that grows well in containers. But the more research I do, the more iffy it seems! At least one source sells it as a hybrid; the rest say it's open-pollinated or don't specify.

[QUOTE=habitat_gardener;771930]VirginiaClay, thank you so much!

I chose this variety for our master gardener seedling sale because I thought it was a fairly well-established variety that grows well in containers. But the more research I do, the more iffy it seems! At least one source sells it as a hybrid; the rest say it's open-pollinated or don't specify.[/QUOTE]

It looks like it should be a very good tomato and fun to grow, but probably not OP.

This link goes to a 2018 Vegetalis catalog which has Cherry Falls and their other tomato varieties in it. Cherry Falls is listed as F1, as are all of the other tomato varieties in this catalog except Tumbling Tom. [URL]https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjio6q7t5qEAxWlEVkFHdnIDHoQFnoECB8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.norcom.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fcatalogo-vegetalis-2018.pdf&usg=AOvVaw38-WTGYCZ7ycnhziVW9kES&opi=89978449[/URL]

Cherry Falls was a new release by Floranova/Vegetalis for 2012 (announced in 2011). It's not in their current catalog or on their website now.

Floranova was a UK seed company specializing in flowers, and Vegetalis was their name for their small vegetable seed breeding business. Both were bought by Syngenta in 2018 but Floranova still operates under its own name; website here: [URL]https://floranova.com/[/URL] Contact info is available on the website, so maybe you could inquire about Cherry Falls there.

A long time ago now, I experimented with dehybridizing an early hybrid. Well, actually two, that supposedly shared a parent.

My goal was to try to recreate that parent, or at least come very close. I'd like to think I was successful. Unfortunately, while the ultimate result seemed to match the description, it turned out to be yet another "heirloom adjacent" variety with nothing to truly recommend it 75 years later.

But I learned a few things: I identified various segregates, some of which were quite similar to the F1's. The F2's of one of my experiments was actually very similar, and segregation was more evident in F3 and F4.

I'm sure the seeds out there now, offered by small sellers, even Ebay and Etsy, are similar dehybridizing experiments. We can't easily find existing F1 seeds to compare a grow out.

I do grow a couple of these types every year, planting them in hanging baskets where they endure my depredation early in the season: they get started early and come inside if cool temps threaten. It's great fun to have a tomato a week or two earlier than reasonable or normal.

But eventually the regular ones on the garden start and they are ignored. These are likely no better or worse than any of the better-knowns.

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I am appreciating Hybrid more and more each year. I researched Lescana's Big Beautiful Red Tomatoes was sent to me by Annelise. These must be her creations because they grow about 12 feet and were not "Affected By 100' -105 hot wealth last year. It was good to work so hard, and look down at these Lescana that had no effect of the heat. I try to Heirloom Tomato for my Customers, but so many of these Hybrid Tomatoes are just Fantastic, Amen!!