[dice]

"Hybrid Heirloom Tomatoes"

Some people are going to see that and not get it.
They'll think, "Oh cool, someone was talking
about these at work (heirloom tomatoes)," and
maybe order some, without the faintest idea
of how what are they getting differs from either
standard retail seed market commercial hybrids
or OP heirlooms. The cultivar description and
price will be the only parts that sink in.

Other people will suspect a missing '&' character
there between hybrid and heirloom and expect
to see listings for both hybrid and OP heirloom
seeds.

Long time tomato growers and seed customers
will probably figure at first glance that the
possibilities are a tossup between a marketing
oxymoron and "Hybrids of Heirloom Tomatoes"
(while wondering about the small possibility
that some seed company has bequeathed you
it's stock of hybrid seed). They may even wonder
if this is a site with a historical theme, bringing
together seeds of great hybrids of the last 60 years
all in one place (and maybe some that have been
discontinued by the companies that brought
them to market originally).

Seems like it would be kind of a niche market
for the amateur grower, attracting people who
like to experiment and are always willing to try
a new variety and see how it does. The amateur
growers who insist on OP seed will mostly ignore
it. They might browse it and try one or two, just
for curiousity sake, but growing hybrids is something
that they are specifically trying to avoid as a
matter of policy.

On the other hand, the same amateur growers
that always grow a few hybrids anyway, just
for their reliability, will probably try "hybrid
heirlooms" to see if they are comparably
reliable and taste better than what they normally
use for that purpose.

For commercial growers, the bottom line is everything.
They'll trial it. If it grows well, tends to survive
to maturity, produces well, and customers like it,
they'll buy seeds by the pound and grow it for
market. The "customer" in this case is likely
to be primarily the produce wholesaler and/or
food manufacturer, which means how well it
keeps in transport and storage is a bigger issue
than flavor. Fresh markets and restaurants
may have different parameters, and there is
a market there for better tasting tomatoes even
with less robust storage characteristics, but those
are likely smaller markets than grocery stores
and tomato product manufacturers.

(Do Campbell's and Heinz still develop their own
cultivars? Or subcontract that sort of development?
Just wondering.)