Dumb tomato question

[Usingmyrights]

I've got a handful of different heirloom variety tomatoes. Do I need to seperate them to keep them from cross pollinating each other or can I plant them all in the same section of the garden? I've got bee hives on the property so pollination will probably be increased compared to normal. I want to keep the heirlooms as pure as possible to save the seeds from year to year. I've got peppers as well, would those need to be separated? They're just different types of bells.

[RomeGrower]

I probably can't give you a great answer, but we planted our heirlooms side by side and had no issues last year.

[Nimrod]

You have to keep the varieties seperated by at least 50 feet. Further is better. You might not have room to plant all the varieties in the same year and keep them seperate.

If you don't plant tham far enough apart, cross pollination will not effect the fruit this year but the seeds from this year's tomatoes will produce tomatoes next year that have characteristics of two or more of the original tomatoes. You will have lost your heirloom strains but may come up with the next great tomato.

[RomeGrower]

That's a great idea. We could sell our own varieties that the stores around us don't have.

[am1too]

Just to rotate my garden crops it looks like I will have to have 3 active gardens. Never plant the same family of plants in the same place 2 years in a row and 4 is better. Helps keep down pest problems and increase yeilds is what I read.

[kellyst]

Tomatoes are self-pollinators, I quite honestly wouldnt be too worried about saving seeds from two plants planted right next to each other - Given the slight chance of cross-pollination and the fact that I always keep a few seeds in backup from the prior year that I know are true. If I accidently did get a cross - it might be a great tomato! If it isn't, i will have true seeds to plant next year.

Also, if you are really worried about it, and don't want to separate by space, you can tie a small burlap sack around a tomato vine to preven cross-pollination.

[lemonthyme7]

What kellyst said. Your honeybees won't pollinate your tomatoes so you don't have to worry about cross pollination from them. If you are really worried just separate them far enough so they won't be touching. I'm not to picky and plant mine side by side (about 3 foot spacing stem to stem) and have noticed no significant problems. I grow almost all heirloom varieties too. I always have extra seeds of each variety saved back that I do not plant in case of a crop failure or some such thing as a backup. Peppers are about the same although I do separate my sweet and hot to different parts of the garden most times.

[sisterpine]

Wait a minute...I grew heirloom tomatoes in my greenhouse and always had to pollinate them with a paint brush. Yes they can self pollinate in the wind as they have both male and female flowers but it is not a sure thing.

[Txsteader]

Originally Posted by sisterpine

Wait a minute...I grew heirloom tomatoes in my greenhouse and always had to pollinate them with a paint brush. Yes they can self pollinate in the wind as they have both male and female flowers but it is not a sure thing.

I've read that you can just "thump" the plant with you fingers and the jolt is enough to cause the flowers to pollinate.

[anette]

had a friend with a greenhouse who pollinated with a leafblower. to save seeds without crossing, you can put a muslin bag over a couple of blossoms before they open and then pollinate between that cluster.

[Paquebot]

All it takes is a little breeze to allow a tomato blossom to pollinate itself. Vibration loosens the pollen.

Martin