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Old July 4, 2018   #39
Oregonfarmer
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Oregon
Posts: 46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bower View Post
Oregonfarmer, your hybrid seeds would all be F1s.
If the bumblebees cross pollinate your tomatoes no, you will not get the same variety from the cross pollinated seed.
Every first generation cross is called an "F1" seed.
If the parents in the cross are random and unknown (bee crosses) then you will get a random assortment of different tomatoes from the crossed seed. You will not get the original varieties by saving crossed seed. If you save seeds from F1 hybrids, you have F2 seed, which will produce an assortment of different tomatoes, depending on what the parents were, even if the F1 seeds were self pollinated.

The F1 hybrid seed which you bought, was produced by deliberately crossing two stable parent lines which are maintained by the company for that purpose to produce the seed. If you want to grow F1 hybrids, you will have to buy seed.

Heirlooms and OP tomatoes have been selfed for seven or more generations, and if they self pollinate then the seeds will come true and you get the same variety. You can bag blossoms to make sure that they don't cross pollinate, and then save seeds from those fruit, and you will get the same variety from your saved seed.
Some people simply save the seeds from first and last fruit of their heirlooms, which are least likely to be cross pollinated (less bee action at those times), and sometimes get crossed seed but most of the time it is self pollinated and you do get the same variety. So that way you don't have to buy seed every year, you can save your own and know what to expect from the plants.
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