I've grown 20+ year old seeds, not in freezer with no problems. Some were in paper envelopes or packets.

I don't keep seeds in the freezer. I keep mine in zip locks & keep the zip locks in cigar boxes & keep the cigar boxes on the middle shelves inside the coolest closet in the house.

evelyninthegarden said: I've grown 20+ year old seeds, not in freezer with no problems. Some were in paper envelopes or packets.

Of tomatoes? Whoa, and I start to worry around 5 years of age.

Many of mine are teenagers!

I'm glad someone else said so - I think you're worrying way too much about the viability of your tomato seeds, Anne. They're very long-lived, even just on a shelf in a seed packet. I definitely wouldn't bother with the freezer.

Here's irony for you, I got a good laugh this morning when I realized that of the 8 varieties of tomato I have going right now, the two dwarf plants are not only the most productive, they're also the biggest plants of them all! Dwarf is a relative term, apparently.

dyzzypyxxy said: I'm glad someone else said so - I think you're worrying way too much about the viability of your tomato seeds, Anne. They're very long-lived, even just on a shelf in a seed packet. I definitely wouldn't bother with the freezer.

Here's irony for you, I got a good laugh this morning when I realized that of the 8 varieties of tomato I have going right now, the two dwarf plants are not only the most productive, they're also the biggest plants of them all! Dwarf is a relative term, apparently.

Yeah I know I worry about the dumbest stuff, that's just part of my anxiety issues. I might keep my tomato seed out of the freezer from now on unless they're bulk/lots of extra I want to keep as back up. But shorter term stuff like lettuce, I for sure want to keep it stored in the freezer.

Ah that reminds me of the time I grew a tomato thinking it was a Micro Tom and the plant just kept right on growing and going...

https://www.npr.org/sections/h...

This is very disappointing. Heartbreaking news to me. Tomatoes are no longer a sacred crop. Our natural or organic tomatoes will soon be put in danger of GMO tomato pollen. 💔

I thought we already had blue tomatoes with blueberry genes contributing the additional skin pigments.

I'm not against all applications of genetic modification, although I do get that it can be a minefield.

I suspect that the introduction of the first hybrids caused a lot of anxiety as well.

Jill, I believe the current "blue" varieties only have the pigment in the skin (so a fairly low percentage of the entire fruit); this new one is blue through-and-through.

How would a blueberry gene get in a tomato if not gmo?

They sure are beautiful looking!

Apparently, blue tomatoes hace been developed with conventional breeding methods as well as being genetically modified. I grew 'BlueBeauty' last year.

This Brad Gates introduction was selected from a cross between 'Beauty King' and a blue tomato. Fruit is modest beefsteak-type slicer, weighing up to 8 ounces, and the flavor is as good as its outstanding antioxidant content! Deep blue-black shoulders make this unique among slicing types. Sunburn and crack resistant.

not sure whether the blue tomato in the cross was genetically modified...

Weedwhacker said: I suspect that the introduction of the first hybrids caused a lot of anxiety as well.

True, but there's a big difference between a simple cross between two tomatoes rather than one that has been injected with stuff that doesn't even belong in a tomato. Or in the human body.
For me, the release of the GMO tomato is treachery and I feel like they're no longer a sacred crop. Anyone who grows these in their garden I will be very ashamed of.
If you want a purple tomato, there's plenty of unique, non-GMO options.

This says 'blue' tomatoes were found naturally occurred, then bred for more varieties
https://www.almanac.com/blue-t....

I love the flavor of Cherokee Purple and Large barred Boar (Brad Gates) and Black Krim pretty good too. I personally am not interested in trying a purple tomato just for the color, having been disappointed in a 'blue.'

I wonder where they got these white strawberries now being sold?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

The only white strawberries I've seen are pineberries, which I'm pretty sure are naturally white.

Here's some info about white strawberries and pineberries from "All Recipes":
https://www.allrecipes.com/art...

I thought the sacred plants were corn, beans, squash (the three sisters) and tobacco? We should probably add the tomato to the list.

My guess is that most of the so called sacred plants have been genetically modified, but are still available in a non GMO edition. Marketing a product as non GMO seems to be in vogue.

The GMO blue tomato was developed in an effort to make a tomato fruit more healthy to eat. Lab results (UK) seem to indicate that this is true (some of the mice lived). The USDA has approved one such blue tomato for US consumption. So far, the USDA has not said we had to eat them.

I have no problem with current GMO products and research. However, when AI takes the helm, we could be in for a rough ride:)

critterologist said: or they are planning to resell on ebay for $10 per packet... sorry, I'm not normally cynical.

Does anybody in the tomato seed swap happen to have bee balm seeds? JBarstool is looking for some. I checked the plant (deep red, not Jacob Cline) on my deck just now, but any seeds are long gone.

I have native Monarda fistilosa seeds.

Does anyone have opinions on crushed heart tomatoes? They look interesting but I'm also not sure if they will do well here. And flavor?