[wbmkk]

I realise F1 varieties may be different, but do seeds from tomatoes grow 100% true to the variety ?

I have grown Black cherry tomatoes this year, which have been my favourite. I do have a couple of seeds left in the packet, but wouldn't mind growing more next year.

I know seed packets are pretty cheap, but nothing can beat free, as long as the plants will be the same as the parent.

thank you

[mumofstig]

Black Cherry does grow true from seed 

All non f1/open pollinated toms will grow true from saved seed

[Growster...]

Black Cherry does grow true from seed 

All non f1/open pollinated toms will grow true from saved seed

Interesting post.

Someone has saved 'Sungold' seed from last year (they're an F1 - the seeds, not the poster), and has a crop this year of normal, (i.e. not cherry size) toms, but all pretty good, and the same flavour etc!

We'll be trying to do this next year, and Mrs Growster has saved about three-hundred seeds, so goodness knows what will happen..;0)

But it will be a good year, no doubt!

[cadalot]

I saved the seed from some TESCO mini tomatoes and I'm getting Cadalot's Mini Tomatoes - they look the same not sure if they will have time to go red if they do I will taste if not then there is next year

[Headgardener22]

Black Cherry does grow true from seed 

All non f1/open pollinated toms will grow true from saved seed

This is not 100% correct. If the seeds cross pollinate with another variety, they may not "run true". They are most likely to cross pollinate if the stamen sticks out at the end of the flower, something which is more likely to be the case with potato leafed varieties than regular leafed varieties (why I don't know) and if you're growing them close to other varieties (I've read somewhere that "close" is within 500m).

Many now common varieties (Red Zebra for example) are accidental cross pollinations when others were being grown (in the case of Red Zebra it was Green Zebra).

As a example, in 2012, I grew some "Oleron Yellow" tomatoes from a supplier, I liked them and planned to grow them the following year. However, the supplier didn't have any seeds so I kept some to grow again. In 2013 I grew one plant and they were red cherry tomatoes (not what I wanted) so this year I tried again. This time I've got two different yellow cherry tomatoes and one red cherry tomato out of the three plants I have grown. I've saved seeds from the two yellow ones and will try again.

However, I like seeing what I get.

[mumofstig]

Cross pollination is quite rare though 
 

Tomatoes are natural self-pollinators that can be pollinated by just about any form of vibration whether from wind, insects, or humans with electric toothbrushes.  The flower structure is such that the stigma is surrounded by the anther cone.  As the stigma extends, it may protrude beyond the anther cone which makes it available for crosspollination.  Under normal conditions, most tomatoes have a natural cross-pollination rate of about 4%.

http://www.selectedplants.com/seedsaving.htm

[Baldy]

I've enjoyed my Orange Paruche F1's so much this year that I'm going to save seed from them and see what I get next year (probably wouldn't have bothered if I could have picked up a packet for 10p/25p in the local garden centre but I'll have to pay full price in the new year)

Cheers,
Balders

[Headgardener22]

Cross pollination is quite rare though 


http://www.selectedplants.com/seedsaving.htm

Often, tomato blossoms pollenize prior to being visited by insects. This means that it is "possible" to get pure seed even when another tomato is directly alongside. Under normal conditions, most tomatoes have a natural cross-pollination rate of about 2 to 5%. Under some conditions though, this can be much higher - maybe as high as 50%. The incidence depends on the types of insects active in the area, the existence and types of inter-planted crops, the wind, the blossom structure, and the blossom timing of the varieties involved.

gardenweb.com

Open-pollinated seed is available for all crops offered as hybrids, but is usually significantly less uniform, vigorous and productive. Open-pollinated seed is relatively inexpensive and can often be readily collected by home gardeners. However, seeds harvested from garden plants will not always come true to their parent, particularly if there is a related plant nearby with which it could have hybridised.

RHS

I did say it was only "not 100% true" 96%?

[sunshineband]

I've enjoyed my Orange Paruche F1's so much this year that I'm going to save seed from them and see what I get next year (probably wouldn't have bothered if I could have picked up a packet for 10p/25p in the local garden centre but I'll have to pay full price in the new year)

Cheers,
Balders

Snap!! I bought a plant at a car boot sale --- gorgeous flavour. Wonder what we'll get next year 

[beesrus]

It was all so simple when it was just Mendel's peas. 
I would love to save true Floridity F1 seeds this year. In fact I'm going to, but I don't hold out much hope as to the result. F1s are mostly a dead end and I guess that's why I'm slowly cutting them out of the equation, just using up old seed.

[Kristen]

I did say it was only "not 100% true" 96%?

Like many things "it depends" but I would say that it is a lot higher than 96% in most cases ... clearly if you have one plant of each of several varieties all in close proximity there may be a higher risk of cross pollination, but seed taken from a plant in the middle of a row is very likely to come true (assuming not F1 and a genetically stable strain)

I forget which varieties, but there are some supposedly F1 varieties being grown from self-saved seed that seem to come true year after year. Is that F1-marketing just to try to discourage people from saving seed?

[Headgardener22]

I did say it was only "not 100% true" 96%?

I forget which varieties, but there are some supposedly F1 varieties being grown from self-saved seed that seem to come true year after year. Is that F1-marketing just to try to discourage people from saving seed?

I've seen the same from Tomatofest, their Big Beef (which was originally an F1 hybrid) has been open pollinated for several years and is said to run true. But I suppose there is always the question "how do you know" although it looks similar enough, it could just have reverted to one of the parents.

I don't know about others, but I tend to grow only two or three plants of each type in my greenhouse and therefore would expect them to be prone to hybridisation. Further of the 100 or so different varieties I have grown over the past few years I've had a number of non-true plants even from "reputable suppliers". So unless they are mixing the seeds after picking, I can only presume that they have hybridised at source.

[Kristen]

I've seen the same from Tomatofest, their Big Beef (which was originally an F1 hybrid) has been open pollinated for several years and is said to run true. But I suppose there is always the question "how do you know" although it looks similar enough, it could just have reverted to one of the parents.

I expect that folk say that "if it looks and tastes the same that's good enough"   It sure as heck ain't the original breeding of a true F1

I tend to grow only two or three plants of each type in my greenhouse and therefore would expect them to be prone to hybridisation.

I tried growing lots of varieties, and only 2 plants of each, a few years ago but then when we had BBQs on summer Sundays I never had enough Tomatoes of a single variety to make a dish big enough for the marauding hoards ... in part I did the two-by-two thing, that year, in order to try all the varieties that my gardening chums raved about, but in the end I didn't think they tasted significantly better than the stalwart varieties that I have grown since Year Dot, so I reverted to my three varieties, 6 plants of each, and am now assured of enough stock for a weekend summer party albeit incredibly boring of me ...

[Auntiemogs]

I've enjoyed my Orange Paruche F1's so much this year that I'm going to save seed from them and see what I get next year (probably wouldn't have bothered if I could have picked up a packet for 10p/25p in the local garden centre but I'll have to pay full price in the new year)
Cheers,
Balders

Snap!! I bought a plant at a car boot sale --- gorgeous flavour. Wonder what we'll get next year 

Love OP!   

[GrannieAnnie]

Years ago I bought some Floridity seeds, but the seed catalogue didn't say they were F1.  I have saved the seeds ever since.  The first year I got same shape, but larger fruits, then different shape smaller fruits, but now I still save my floridity every year and they are back to being normal floridity size!