Mexico Midget ?

[relichound]

This was my first year growing Mexico Midget. After seeing Craig's video clip on this variety I just wanted to make sure it was indeed a true Mexico Midget. Very small fruit and the flavor was great.

Thanks,
Jerry

[Lee]

Yep. Looks spot on to me.

If you plan to save seeds, try this method.

Put a few fruit in a small cup/baby food jar. Let sit. Wait, wait, wait..... eventually
they'll rot/ferment/dry up and you'll have some seeds.
I heard this one has been a tough one for Craig to save seeds from, but someone
mentioned this method(or close to it) at Tomatopalooza[tm] this year to get seeds.

Lee

[DiggingDogFarm]

Originally Posted by relichound

This was my first year growing Mexico Midget. After seeing Craig's video clip on this variety I just wanted to make sure it was indeed a true Mexico Midget. Very small fruit and the flavor was great.

Thanks,
Jerry

The above pic makes me think that the so-called Mexico Midget plants I got from Cross Country Nursery last year were not Mexico Midget.

None of the fruits were smaller than a penny!

GRRRrrrrrrrrr!


~Diggin'

[nctomatoman]

Mexico Midget should be the size of a large pea. SSE is selling a crossed strain, as we saw at Tomatopalooza last year. It should be the same size as Coyote.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Mexico Midget should be the size of a large pea.

The fruits that I got were penny to nickel size.
I wondered what all the rage was about, the fruits were nothing special flavor-wise either.

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

SSE is selling a crossed strain, as we saw at Tomatopalooza last year. It should be the same size as Coyote.

Great!
I've got 3 plants started from seed I got from the SSE public catalog in 2009.

Anyone know where I can get some good seed?


~Diggin'

[DiggingDogFarm]

Cross Country Nursery has confirmed that they got their seed from The Seed Saver's Exchange catalog.

I've contacted Seed Saver's Exchange, hopefully they'll correct the problem.

Too bad that so many people are getting an average tomato that isn't close to what it's supposed to be.

~Diggin'

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by DiggingDogFarm

Cross Country Nursery has confirmed that they got their seed from The Seed Saver's Exchange catalog.

I've contacted Seed Saver's Exchange, hopefully they'll correct the problem.

Too bad that so many people are getting an average tomato that isn't close to what it's supposed to be.

~Diggin'

Just so you know, it isn't the only error in the SSE catalog, but here I'm talking about mainly blurb info as opposed to wrong seed although I'm aware of that problem from someone else.

I haven't contacted SSE yet about all the blurb errors, which for the most part are new to the 2011 catalog. Not new varieties, new blurbs for varieties previously shown.

[jhp]

Is there a source for Mexico Midget that is selling correct seed? I'd like to grow it next year and see what all the fuss is about.

Jen

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by jhp

Is there a source for Mexico Midget that is selling correct seed? I'd like to grow it next year and see what all the fuss is about.

Jen

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Mexico_Midget

Jen, when in doubt I suggest you check the commercial places that Tania notes at her website.

SSE is listed for 2011 but we now know that what they sell isn't correct.

I would highly suggest Gleckler's and do take a look at the picture there as well as the description, but to date I know of NO wrong varieties that Adam has sold. And be sure to look at some of the other varieties he lists, many not to be found elsewhere, and many of them donated to Adam by folks here at Tville. It wouldn't surprise me at all that Craig ( nctomaotman) donated MM b'c he was the first to distribute seeds for it as you can see from the above link.

Heirloom Seeds would be a backup IMO, not to say that MM there is wrong, but only b'c I think Glecklers is perhaps best at this point.

[jhp]

Thanks Carolyn. I have purchased seeds from Glecklers for the past 2 years. It must have escaped my attention that they have Mexico Midget. Can't tell from the picture, but the description says 1/2" tomatoes. I'll add them to my next year's order.

Thanks again.

Jen

[Fusion_power]

If you try to ferment seed from Mexico Midget, germination goes down to nothing. Make tomato raisins instead. Put a handful in a bowl so that there is a single layer deep. Let them dry for a couple of months. When you want to grow them, just squeeze the tomato raisin apart and into some seed start mix. I've had 95% or better germination with seed saved this way on this variety.

BTW. Craig Lehoullier does not refer to this as "Mexico Midget". He calls it "The Weed!"

DarJones

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

If you try to ferment seed from Mexico Midget, germination goes down to nothing. Make tomato raisins instead. Put a handful in a bowl so that there is a single layer deep. Let them dry for a couple of months. When you want to grow them, just squeeze the tomato raisin apart and into some seed start mix. I've had 95% or better germination with seed saved this way on this variety.

BTW. Craig Lehoullier does not refer to this as "Mexico Midget". He calls it "The Weed!"

DarJones

Darrel, if fermentation destroys seed viability, how come I just Googled it and found at least 6 pages and many places selling seeds?

http://www.google.com/search?q=mexic...w&start=0&sa=N

I can't speak to how the individual places produce their seeds other than Adam Gleckler who lists it and I know he process all his seeds by fermentation. And he wouldn't be selling seeds if he didn't have viable seeds.

Nothing wrong with making tomato raisins at all, but it seems that many folks, both commercial places as well as home growers seem to have no problem from reading some of the links in that above Goole search.

When I was Googling it I was surprised to find a link to Tville from June 2006 where Craig was describing how and from whom he first got the seeds and there were quite a few folks, even back then, who were growing it.

It appears to be a currant, S. pimpinellifolium, and I've had no problem saving viable seeds via fermentation from similar varieties.

how about you and other currant varieties or is Mexico Midget special for you in this regard of losing viability when fermenting the seed? Seems strange, weird, special, whatever, to me at least.

[nctomatoman]

I actually find Mexico Midget to be the most difficult variety I have to save good viable seed from. What I think is happening is that it needs different conditions to germinate well....I now give the variety 3 weeks minimum to germinate, and at that point I can approach 60% or so - usually it is the last few remaining cells, so I just stick the flat outside, keep it moist, and eventually see seedlings - very odd.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

I actually find Mexico Midget to be the most difficult variety I have to save good viable seed from. What I think is happening is that it needs different conditions to germinate well....I now give the variety 3 weeks minimum to germinate, and at that point I can approach 60% or so - usually it is the last few remaining cells, so I just stick the flat outside, keep it moist, and eventually see seedlings - very odd.

So how does that fit in with all the places who are selling seed for it and if fresh seed which would pertain to both Glenn Drowns and now Adam Gleckler who will sell no tomato seed over two years old?

I think I'll ask Adam his experience with it when he has more time.

I haven't grown Mexico Midget but one that confounded me for a while was the older German CV Mirabel, not Mirabelle Blanche, an heirloom, but Mirabel which has thumb sized pale yellow fruits.

I found that freshly fermented seeds when sown took, at least for me, up to two weeks or slightly more to germinate. That was a surprise and I'd bet that others would have given up before then saying the seeds were pretty much duds.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

........if fermentation destroys seed viability, how come I just Googled it and found at least 6 pages and many places selling seeds?

Could be that most aren't selling correct seeds.

I've attempted to grow Mexico Midget 4 times from 4 different sources and STILL don't have correct seed.

What I've been getting is more like Matt's Wild Cherry.

~Diggin'