If I plant Black Russian , Romas (unamed),Tommy Toe ,Zola (F1 Hybrid) and an old world Oxheart (unamed) in close proximity what do you think the results will be ? Attached photo has been bearing fruit for 6 months and is still going strong despite it no longer gets full sun heading into our summer. Yes it has been fruiting all winter growing UNDER the back verandah.John in OZ.
Chances of crossing are probably 5 percent or so.
(It's been producing thru your winter? What kind of winter do you have there? Warm, I suppose? )
Horseshoe,We should have very similar climates.I get about 10/15 frosts but are gone not long after sunup. Grown in a raised sandy soil bed,feed on sheep manure ONLY and watered when I remember. The secret could be that is under a north facing verandah 8 foot high and received fun sun in winter but had the protection of the verandah at night,only guessing but intent to save some seeds for next winter. John
If I plant Black Russian , Romas (unamed),Tommy Toe ,Zola (F1 Hybrid) and an old world Oxheart (unamed) in close proximity what do you think the results will be ?
The degree of cross pollination will depend on the closeness, yes, which is very close in your picture, but also the kinds of pollinators, their frequency, the weather and whether a tomato variety has retracted or exerted stigmas , whether the variety has double or triple blossoms early in the season, etc.
Crossing rates for tomatoes can range from 0 to about 30 %. At the 30% level, for instance, it means that of seed saved from 100 varieties, on average, seed from 30 of the 100 will be crossed.
Unless one wants to get involved in trading seeds, which is something I don't do, for many reasons, I can't see the sense in saving seed unless a variety is really rare and seeds are hard to come by.
Of those you mention, none are rare although I don't know what an old world oxheart might be, but there are scads of heart shaped varieteis and unless that one is special to you for some reason, I can't see the sense in saving seeds.
Just my opinion.
Carolyn
