Tomato question

[lottie lou]

I have been growing Polen tomatoes a sweet yellow one.  They appear to be different shapes - round/egg shaped/plum shaped and my favourite pear shaped (thin necks and bulbous body).  If I save the seeds from the one shape does anyone know whether I can get the plants to grow this one particular shape?  I'm going to give it a bash though.

[lottie lou]

[goodlife]

When you wish to carry on certain characteristics in plants, picking desired fruits and their seeds will have more likely outcome of getting majority of the 'babies' like the 'mother' fruit.
I don't 'know' that particular variety how it is bred..but it is quite likely that by carrying on saving seeds, over next few generation you could 'refine' the fruit shape to one 'majority'-shape. You might have to keep some flowers isolated so they don't get cross fertilized.
It is good fun and learning curve to play with your own saved seeds...and nothing wasted if not gained. No matter what shape the fruit..its all edible 

[Jayb]

Fruit shape can vary somewhat on a plant over a season. If you have grown only one plant of Polen and are getting different fruit shape it is most likely down to environmental factors influencing fruit shape. In this case any of the seeds will carry the same genes and offspring will be the same as the parent. However in rare cases a mutation can occur affecting part of a plant including fruit, I've never seen one but believe seed saved from the mutated part will be an exact copy of these rather than the original 'normal' plant.

If you have grown more than one plant of Polen and are only getting the thin necks and bulbous body on one plant then just save these. Their characteristics will be carried forward to the next crop where you can again make your selection.

I grew Sweet Beverley this year, quite a similar variety, another multiflora yellow pear shape, I noticed the fruit shape had much longer necks later on, very pretty shape.

[lottie lou]

thanks for your replies.  As I said I get a variety of shapes per plant.  I have been growing and saving the seeds over the last few years.  Don't know much about the variety as it never came up with google searches.  Original seed from a swap.  The fruits are nice and sweet and OH loves em.

[Jayb]

It is a nice one, loads of fruit  I had seeds originally from Irish Seed Savers, here's their description "Seed originally saved from Poland in a gene bank. A cordon variety that produces many sprays of small, golden, plum shape fruit. Sweet and delicious, it fruits late into the year." they have a picture on their site http://store.irishseedsavers.ie/Polen_Tomato_p/1102.htm

[pumkinlover]

Just watched GW from a few weeks ago and they showed Red Pear- it was huge compared to the one's I have grown, I thought it was a small Salad type.

[lottie lou]

Ah I had a feeling that the seeds originated in Poland but couldn't find anything about it at the time.  If and when I manag to create a totall pear shaped fruit plant, would that still be called Polen?  Interesting few years ahead.

[Jayb]

Just watched GW from a few weeks ago and they showed Red Pear- it was huge compared to the one's I have grown, I thought it was a small Salad type.

Confusingly another variety called Red Pear is a much larger sort http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/31

[Jayb]

Ah I had a feeling that the seeds originated in Poland but couldn't find anything about it at the time.  If and when I manag to create a totall pear shaped fruit plant, would that still be called Polen?  Interesting few years ahead.

Yes it still Polen as the the plant is a stable variety so it still retains it's original name of Polen unless you cross it with another varitey then it becomes something else. But I believe it could be noted as Lottie Lou's selection of Polen or whatever name if you feel over time you have changed it enough to make it noticeable different through your on-going selections.

[gardentg44]

i grew tomato berry this year.supposed to be heart shaped.grew perfectly round???

[pumkinlover]

Cheers Jayb, I'm not as daft as I thought then!
gardentg44 - looks like we are all finding things not as they should be!