What to do with the NOT (red pear)

Rena · April 30, 2006

I have a tomato in a container that was supposed to be red pear. It has the large clump of 1+lb of tomatoes. What the heck surely not red pear. Do you save seed and hope to figure out to do? This was a sse tomato but the other plant looks like a red pear. -R

**carolyn137** · April 30, 2006

Rena,

Since SSE doesn't offer Red Pear in their online public catalog I assume what you got were crossed seeds or a stray seed from a listed member from the Yearbook.

As long as you have one plant that looks like Red Pear that's good.

As for the other plant, if you like what you see and taste you can save seeds. Then plant them the next year to see if they come true but you'll have to put out quite a few plants to see if there's any genetic segregation.

If they grow true that next year then you can contact the SSE listed member, if you wish, explain what happened and ask if it might have been a stray seed and if the member might know what it could be.

If it's a member who lists many varieties then I wouldn't even bother doing that b/c there's no way to know which of hundreds of varieties that stray seed might have come from.

But you can't give it a name b'c it already probably is a named variety.

If it doesn't come true the next year then you can look for plants that resemble what you have this year, select one, and dehybridize it, if that interests you.

Rena · April 30, 2006

Thanks Carolyn, I doubt I will ever figure out what it is and would probably not work on it unless it turns out to be some tasty monster. I would never rename as I know it does have a name.
On a side note today at dinner my husband said I am so looking forward to those yellow and red tomatoes (Lucky Cross)! I started to kinda look away and get interested in my rice... he said YOU DID plant some right? I was like ummmm I had to try other things, but I am growing Littly lucky and I hope he will be happy. IF that is they stop looking like they have been nuked and start putting on some flowers..............Thanks again-R

moucheur · May 2, 2006

If you got it from another tomato fan, it's probably good, whatever it is. Some of my best big red beefsteaks last year came from a seed trade that I expected to be Opalka. I don't know what they really were, but I saved the seed and am growing again this year to see if I get the same thing. Am also growing out more of the old Opalka to see if last year's was a stray seed or if the whole batch was mislabeled. (Am also growing Polish Linguisa, in case I don't get any Opalka!)

Sorellina · May 2, 2006

Rena,

I'm wondering if you got Italian Red Pear, which is a beefsteak type shaped like a pear. My Franchi seeds only say "Red Pear" and they're definitely not the same thing as the tiny little cherry red pear most of us are familiar with. Personally, I was very excited to find this one on a California seed rack as I've been looking forward to it ever since Keith mentioned it.

It's a bummer not having what you originally wanted, but it might end up turning out to be something really cool anyway.

TomatoDon · May 7, 2006

Eat it and enjoy it and quit trying to understand it.

April 30, 2006	#1
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	What to do with the NOT (red pear) I have a tomato in a container that was supposed to be red pear. It has the large clump of 1+lb of tomatoes. What the heck surely not red pear. Do you save seed and hope to figure out to do? This was a sse tomato but the other plant looks like a red pear. -R

April 30, 2006	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Rena, Since SSE doesn't offer Red Pear in their online public catalog I assume what you got were crossed seeds or a stray seed from a listed member from the Yearbook. As long as you have one plant that looks like Red Pear that's good. As for the other plant, if you like what you see and taste you can save seeds. Then plant them the next year to see if they come true but you'll have to put out quite a few plants to see if there's any genetic segregation. If they grow true that next year then you can contact the SSE listed member, if you wish, explain what happened and ask if it might have been a stray seed and if the member might know what it could be. If it's a member who lists many varieties then I wouldn't even bother doing that b/c there's no way to know which of hundreds of varieties that stray seed might have come from. But you can't give it a name b'c it already probably is a named variety. If it doesn't come true the next year then you can look for plants that resemble what you have this year, select one, and dehybridize it, if that interests you. __________________ Carolyn

May 2, 2006	#5
Sorellina Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 300	Rena, I'm wondering if you got Italian Red Pear, which is a beefsteak type shaped like a pear. My Franchi seeds only say "Red Pear" and they're definitely not the same thing as the tiny little cherry red pear most of us are familiar with. Personally, I was very excited to find this one on a California seed rack as I've been looking forward to it ever since Keith mentioned it. It's a bummer not having what you originally wanted, but it might end up turning out to be something really cool anyway. __________________ Grazie a tutti, Julianna

May 7, 2006	#6
TomatoDon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MS Posts: 1,523	Eat it and enjoy it and quit trying to understand it. __________________ Zone 7B, N. MS

May 2, 2006	#4
moucheur Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Boston, Mass. Posts: 50	If you got it from another tomato fan, it's probably good, whatever it is. Some of my best big red beefsteaks last year came from a seed trade that I expected to be Opalka. I don't know what they really were, but I saved the seed and am growing again this year to see if I get the same thing. Am also growing out more of the old Opalka to see if last year's was a stray seed or if the whole batch was mislabeled. (Am also growing Polish Linguisa, in case I don't get any Opalka!)