My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very
viney things. Bush variety then were cross bred for their stouter stems
and perhaps shorter internodes. I only have a Better Bush in the "Bush"
variety to check. What a stocky plant that is!
It looks to me that the first lateral branch is always just below the
first flower and that is the number 6 branch. I expected more variety
but that is the way it is with my Early Girl, Better Bush, Better Boy
and a couple of mystery heirlooms.
The Better Bush is listed as indeterminate, although most bush
tomatoes seem to be determinate. Is there a hard line between
determinate and indeterminate or are todays determinate tomatoes just at
the end of a long breeding line to have all their fruit near the same
time? Or was it more like a switch?
On another note, I'm thinking of just letting some of the tomato
varieties just vine out along the ground. What precautions should I take?
Jeff
Posted by Billy on June 1, 2010, 9:21 pm
> I don't have a good grasp of tomatoes. > > My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very > viney things. Bush variety then were cross bred for their stouter stems > and perhaps shorter internodes. I only have a Better Bush in the "Bush" > variety to check. What a stocky plant that is! > > It looks to me that the first lateral branch is always just below the > first flower and that is the number 6 branch. I expected more variety > but that is the way it is with my Early Girl, Better Bush, Better Boy > and a couple of mystery heirlooms. > > The Better Bush is listed as indeterminate, although most bush > tomatoes seem to be determinate. Is there a hard line between > determinate and indeterminate or are todays determinate tomatoes just at > the end of a long breeding line to have all their fruit near the same > time? Or was it more like a switch? > > On another note, I'm thinking of just letting some of the tomato > varieties just vine out along the ground. What precautions should I take? > > Jeff
Precautions against humidity from the ground and its attendant mold.
Additional care in hand watering. Precautions against insects that will
now have easier access to your vegetables.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
> >> I don't have a good grasp of tomatoes. >> >> My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very >> viney things. Bush variety then were cross bred for their stouter stems >> and perhaps shorter internodes. I only have a Better Bush in the "Bush" >> variety to check. What a stocky plant that is! >> >> It looks to me that the first lateral branch is always just below the >> first flower and that is the number 6 branch. I expected more variety >> but that is the way it is with my Early Girl, Better Bush, Better Boy >> and a couple of mystery heirlooms. >> >> The Better Bush is listed as indeterminate, although most bush >> tomatoes seem to be determinate. Is there a hard line between >> determinate and indeterminate or are todays determinate tomatoes just at >> the end of a long breeding line to have all their fruit near the same >> time? Or was it more like a switch? >> >> On another note, I'm thinking of just letting some of the tomato >> varieties just vine out along the ground. What precautions should I take? >> >> Jeff > > Precautions against humidity from the ground and its attendant mold. > Additional care in hand watering. Precautions against insects that will > now have easier access to your vegetables.
Thanks.
Sounds like a good argument to stake.
Jeff
Posted by Jeff Thies on June 2, 2010, 10:17 am
Jeff Thies wrote:
> I don't have a good grasp of tomatoes. > > My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very > viney things.
Something here on that, and the lack of real genetic diversity:
> Jeff Thies wrote: > > I don't have a good grasp of tomatoes. > > > > My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very > > viney things. > > > Something here on that, and the lack of real genetic diversity: > > http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2010.10.2.40 > > > Jeff
And we share about 99% of our genetic make-up with chimpanzees, and 70%
with earthworms. We do, after all, come from the same bowl of soup.
As for the tomato, like everything else, it's location, location,
location.
http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2010.10.2.40
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
XML site map
>
> My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very
> viney things. Bush variety then were cross bred for their stouter stems
> and perhaps shorter internodes. I only have a Better Bush in the "Bush"
> variety to check. What a stocky plant that is!
>
> It looks to me that the first lateral branch is always just below the
> first flower and that is the number 6 branch. I expected more variety
> but that is the way it is with my Early Girl, Better Bush, Better Boy
> and a couple of mystery heirlooms.
>
> The Better Bush is listed as indeterminate, although most bush
> tomatoes seem to be determinate. Is there a hard line between
> determinate and indeterminate or are todays determinate tomatoes just at
> the end of a long breeding line to have all their fruit near the same
> time? Or was it more like a switch?
>
> On another note, I'm thinking of just letting some of the tomato
> varieties just vine out along the ground. What precautions should I take?
>
> Jeff