Growing Heirloom & Other Heirloom Beside Each Other

AlittleSalt · August 10, 2014

I have done a lot of research on Heirloom Tomatoes/other garden veges and understand some of the appeal and drawbacks about heirloom varieties. I have done way less research about Hybrids, but I understand why hybrids were first developed. I like the idea of taking the best of both plants to make a better plant that is a disease resistant product.

However, there needs to be a 100% common acceptance of what is really a hybrid and what is an heirloom. I've read Rodale Press, heard people talking about it, read a whole lot here, listened to online YouTube or whatever, and all the PBS/Neil Sperry radio, etc... Heirloom is still roughly translated as a plant variety at least 100 years old, or maybe 50 years old, open pollinated, and grows out the same as the mother plant from seeds saved from the year before, or who knows?

From all my research, I personally believe that an heirloom tomato is one that is open pollinated that has produced mostly 95% or exactly the same plant/fruit year-after-year. Only 10 years of planting spring and fall crops in areas that allow two growing seasons - would equal out to 20 years of testing. We can live long enough to answer our own questions.

My title question is about planting heirloom plants/seeds beside other heirloom varieties. First, I am asking about this simpler sounding example: Today, I planted climbing black eyed peas along two fence lines. Four inches from the fences on both sides. On the inside garden, I planted rows of bush purple hull peas, One row is only 12 inches away from the black eyed peas beside the fence and the next row of purple hull peas are 12 inches more. So in about 30 inches, there are four rows of peas each growing as they are supposed to.

(New to gardening question) Is there any chance that the two heirloom peas might cause a hybrid type result in seeds I save for next spring? If so, is it possible that growing Homestead tomatoes beside Green Zebras, or growing Rutgers, Large Red Cherry, and Jellybean all planted 4-feet apart could cause some sort of Hybrids?

I have not read about how to make hybrids yet. That is for another day. I don't want to know-it-all now about tomatoes or anything. I want to learn it.

Gardening makes us young.

August 10, 2014	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Growing Heirloom & Other Heirloom Beside Each Other I have done a lot of research on Heirloom Tomatoes/other garden veges and understand some of the appeal and drawbacks about heirloom varieties. I have done way less research about Hybrids, but I understand why hybrids were first developed. I like the idea of taking the best of both plants to make a better plant that is a disease resistant product. However, there needs to be a 100% common acceptance of what is really a hybrid and what is an heirloom. I've read Rodale Press, heard people talking about it, read a whole lot here, listened to online YouTube or whatever, and all the PBS/Neil Sperry radio, etc... Heirloom is still roughly translated as a plant variety at least 100 years old, or maybe 50 years old, open pollinated, and grows out the same as the mother plant from seeds saved from the year before, or who knows? From all my research, I personally believe that an heirloom tomato is one that is open pollinated that has produced mostly 95% or exactly the same plant/fruit year-after-year. Only 10 years of planting spring and fall crops in areas that allow two growing seasons - would equal out to 20 years of testing. We can live long enough to answer our own questions. My title question is about planting heirloom plants/seeds beside other heirloom varieties. First, I am asking about this simpler sounding example: Today, I planted climbing black eyed peas along two fence lines. Four inches from the fences on both sides. On the inside garden, I planted rows of bush purple hull peas, One row is only 12 inches away from the black eyed peas beside the fence and the next row of purple hull peas are 12 inches more. So in about 30 inches, there are four rows of peas each growing as they are supposed to. (New to gardening question) Is there any chance that the two heirloom peas might cause a hybrid type result in seeds I save for next spring? If so, is it possible that growing Homestead tomatoes beside Green Zebras, or growing Rutgers, Large Red Cherry, and Jellybean all planted 4-feet apart could cause some sort of Hybrids? I have not read about how to make hybrids yet. That is for another day. I don't want to know-it-all now about tomatoes or anything. I want to learn it. Gardening makes us young.