Waah! Tomato Variety Mix Up :roll:

[applestar]

I just NOW realized I've been happily picking big pink beefsteak shaped tomatoes thinking they're all Brandywine Sudduth's or at least a volunteer that I thought was one, but had completely forgotten about the Giant Belgium that was planted between them..... At least GB is a regular leaf, but I won't know what seeds I saved until I grow them. I'll check the leaf shaped when I pick them from now on -- the vines are all entangled so relative location doesn't mean anything.

Also, I had thought that I was picking Black and Brown Boar when it was actually Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye. Now I realize PBTD has been prone to concentric cracking. Again, have been saving seeds and labeling them BBB. Now that I've reviewed their descriptions, PBTD *should* be bigger and BBB *should* be more heavily green striped. I'm pretty sure we had a PBTD recently, but humph!

I really have to be more careful. Maybe I need a compartmentalized and labeled collection basket....

[TZ -OH6]

Sounds like somebody forgot to take their sharpie marker into the garden. One benefit to using the first fruit for seed is that the plants are smaller and there are less distraction from other fruits. You get it out of the way and don't have to worry about it when faced with loads of fruit later on.

[applestar]

Oh that's right TZ, you said you mark them directly. Hmm... maybe I'll print up itty-bitty labels.... "Applestar brand BWS" etc.

[garden5]

Oh that's right TZ, you said you mark them directly. Hmm... maybe I'll print up itty-bitty labels.... "Applestar brand BWS" etc.

Are you saying that TZ recommends writing on the plants directly ? I, myself, like to use new paint stir-sticks and write the variety on them with a Sharpie. They weather, but usually stay legible for the whole season.

[TZ -OH6]

No, you put a big tag on/near the plant and then mark on the fruit when you pick them so you know what you have when you get inside. If other people have access to the fruit in the house and you want to save seed write as big as you can because the other people will swear that they didn't see "Brandywine, Bagged for seed, Do Not Eat!!!!" written across the top of the fruit.

[garden5]

Oh, tag each individual plant and write on the actual tomato......THAT'S GENIUS! I kind of had the trouble of telling some of them apart and was just going to make sure I did my seed saving in sequence, plant by plant. Thanks for the great tip.