Number of Varieties In Yer Tomato Seed Library

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

The Gotch dipped his toe into the "Variety By Letter" pool (viewtopic.php?t=6091) whereupon it was, immediately and at once, promptly blown to smithereens.

Self preservation suggests the need to approach it from a different angle: What's the total number of varieties yer hoarding...I mean...dutifully storing in (heh!) anticipation of future use.

EXTRA CREDIT: What's the percentage of that collection which you's actually intend to plant.

The Gotch

[habitat-gardener]

ha ha ha ha ha

Or: how many seeds have you saved in the last ten years that you probably won't plant again and that are probably too old to share?

Or: How many tomatoes do you plant each year, how many years do the actuaries say you have left, and how much do you need to step up your acreage of backyard tomatoes to be able to try them all before you die?

[Paulf]

At one time maybe ten years ago my inventory was approaching 400 varieties. Right now there are just above 200. Every year about 30 to 40 get grown out. More than half most likely will never hit the dirt. I try really hard to try everything on a rotating basis but some will never see the light of day. About ten years ago an internet friend sent me a hundred varieties of seeds that have been in a jar. They are some obscure cherries and other types. Sorry, this is the last year for them. Anybody want them?

[ddsack]

Have you got a list, @Paulf ?

[Paulf]

No but that would give me something to do.

[Homegrwoninillinois]

I have about 2700 varieties of tomatoes here. Between in ground, raised bed, and indoor tower I will plant 8.15%. I have been growing for about 12 years. I store breeder friends seeds as a second protection if they were to have a fire or suffer some kind of catastrophic loss. Others I help grow to stabilize. I’m also stabilizing my own and my son’s crosses.

I have about 400 varieties of peppers as well. This year I am growing the smallest amounts of those in comparison to prior years, at 7.5%. I am also stabilizing my own pepper currently.

I do preserve a years worth of food for our home and our daughters home. As well as sell seeds online. So I may not be “normal” when compared with others.

~Sam

[habitat-gardener]

About ten years ago I did have a list of varieties. As Tormato may recall, I fit them all on one page — 6-7 columns in 6-point type! Then I moved a couple times, changed garden plots and garden climates, and, while still growing 30-50 varieties a year, stopped updating that outdated list. Then got root-knot nematodes a few years ago and started growing more N-resistant hybrids. This year I have an additional garden plot, which I hope does not have nematodes, and I’m starting about 65 varieties.

I keep my seeds in a couple plastic bins, organized into baggies — year grown, color, size, etc. Can’t quite bring myself to compost the 2015 and earlier seeds, yet; they take up a whole bin, and are mostly seeds I saved. I even have varieties I bought from Tatiana when she was selling seeds, that never made it into the rotation!

[Wembley]

About ten years ago I did have a list of varieties. As Tormato may recall, I fit them all on one page — 6-7 columns in 6-point type! Then I moved a couple times, changed garden plots and garden climates, and, while still growing 30-50 varieties a year, stopped updating that outdated list. Then got root-knot nematodes a few years ago and started growing more N-resistant hybrids. This year I have an additional garden plot, which I hope does not have nematodes, and I’m starting about 65 varieties.

I keep my seeds in a couple plastic bins, organized into baggies — year grown, color, size, etc. Can’t quite bring myself to compost the 2015 and earlier seeds, yet; they take up a whole bin, and are mostly seeds I saved. I even have varieties I bought from Tatiana when she was selling seeds, that never made it into the rotation!

Hello
The 2015 seeds might still able yo germinate
I am trying 2004 seeds this year

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@Homegrwoninillinois;

The Gotch sez: Good Golly Miss Molly!

Frank Barone sez:

everybody-loves-raymond-frank-barone (2).gif

The Gotch

[Paulf]

Have you got a list, @Paulf ?

I actually looked at those seeds stored in a jar for the first time in years and discovered that they were actually some interesting varieties. All were from 2007 to 2010. Some packets had one or two seeds, some 5-20 seeds. I think next year, or maybe even this year I will see what will germinate, so my inventory just rose by another thirty varieties.

My memory tells me (not much usually) all those cherries and salads were sent to a seed seller several years ago who has thousands already in his inventory.

[habitat-gardener]

...I keep my seeds in a couple plastic bins, organized into baggies — year grown, color, size, etc. Can’t quite bring myself to compost the 2015 and earlier seeds, yet; they take up a whole bin, and are mostly seeds I saved. I even have varieties I bought from Tatiana when she was selling seeds, that never made it into the rotation!

Hello
The 2015 seeds might still able yo germinate
I am trying 2004 seeds this year

This year I have seeds from 2016 that are germinating well and some from 2025 that have yet to germinate after 11 days.
I will have to look through and see which ones are pretty common still, and can be composted, and which ones might be of interest. Not at the top of my priority list, though. Still have cleanup to do after the sewage backup!!!

[Tormato]

About ten years ago I did have a list of varieties. As Tormato may recall, I fit them all on one page — 6-7 columns in 6-point type! Then I moved a couple times, changed garden plots and garden climates, and, while still growing 30-50 varieties a year, stopped updating that outdated list. Then got root-knot nematodes a few years ago and started growing more N-resistant hybrids. This year I have an additional garden plot, which I hope does not have nematodes, and I’m starting about 65 varieties.

I keep my seeds in a couple plastic bins, organized into baggies — year grown, color, size, etc. Can’t quite bring myself to compost the 2015 and earlier seeds, yet; they take up a whole bin, and are mostly seeds I saved. I even have varieties I bought from Tatiana when she was selling seeds, that never made it into the rotation!

A list of "haves", all on one SIDE of a page, in 6-point type, AND in alphabetical order. You're one in a thousand, in helping me to decide what NOT to send to a participant. Some day I'll find that 2nd in a thousand, for some relief.

Here, on the Orca, I do a lot of chumming to attract the sharks (you know who you are). I couldn't even guess within 500 varieties, how many different ones that I have. Varieties go out, and varieties come in, 20,000+ packs a year, with no time to keep track of it all.

[Stitchingmom]

I see that many people are too embarrassed to admit their total.

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000, but that includes multiple packages of the same kind of seed, which really shouldn't count.

I have been on a seed buying moratorium for at least a year, trying to get my spreadsheet all caught up. I thought I was making progress, and then I found another whole box of seeds I forgot I have. I still have a couple years until (hopefully early) retirement and then I plan to grow 150-200 tomatoes a year. I'm already at 100ish a year. I don't have huge harvests, due to my super short season, so it works for me.

I am thinking of sharing some of my older seeds with other tomatoholics in my little town, in exchange for fresh seeds and at least one tomato to taste.

[karstopography]

I have no clear idea. North of 150, south of 300 would be my best guess.

How many are true to type to those suspiciously or absolutely not true to type? Best Guess would be over 70% are the real deal, but under 90% would be true, based on grow outs. The rest are imposters, unintentional crosses or degenerates. Maybe ~80% being genuine is overly optimistic as I have favored commercially acquired seed in my grow outs and even those aren’t necessarily true to type.

Percentage or ratio of commercially purchased varieties to swap acquired varieties, 30/70?

Chance I will grow them all, 0%.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

I see that many people are too embarrassed to admit their total.

Rather odd, considering the stated...um...proclivities of this group, am I right?

The Gotch

[Tormahto]

I see that many people are too embarrassed to admit their total.

Rather odd, considering the stated...um...proclivities of this group, am I right?

The Gotch

The proclivities of this group is to grow and eat tomatoes.

When one's collection gets past 2X, 3X, 4X, etc... the number of varieties one ever expects to grow, in the limited number of years where seeds are still viable, that's when the embarrassment kicks in.

[ddsack]

I can't say how many varieties I have. I have a printed list from a few years back that has around 730 on it, but am guessing there have to be at least another 200+ that have come in since, and were never added to the list. I store them in larger letter envelopes filed alphabetically, with sources, comments and years noted on the outside. Some of those envelopes are empty. If I didn't like it and gave away the seed, I keep them as placeholders and reminders why. I've tried making databases and spreadsheets, but found it too much trouble to keep them up to date or try to convert when the programs or operating systems changed over the years. Makes me mad when I think of the time I spent reducing and adding pictures to the last database. One of these years I may get around to updating my list which also includes the year of the seeds.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

The proclivities of this group is to grow and eat tomatoes.

Fair enough, but when yer up to yer @$$ in alligators, it's hard to recall that yer original...um...proclivity was merely to drain the swamp

When one's collection gets past 2X, 3X, 4X, etc... the number of varieties one ever expects to grow, in the limited number of years where seeds are still viable, that's when the embarrassment kicks in.

Heh! Not unlike Colonel Kurtz's proclivities, which, according to Colonel Corman (G. D. Spradlin in Apocalypse Now!) became...UNSOUND.

GA7ojgKXQAAnzZp.jpg

The Gotch

[MissS]

I have been ordering a lot of seeds this year from across the pond. I know that I won't be able to grow them but I think that in the near future that it will be much harder to get them over here. The EU has seed restrictions on home gardeners now and I don't want all of these seeds to be lost forever so home they come. I have a pile of parcels that need to be opened and logged in still, so I am unable to make an official count of my seed stash. I do know that it is well over 1,200.

@Cornelius_Gotchberg I have noticed that you have not declared how many you have in your own collection. I foresee that after creating this thread and not stating the size of your meager stash, that you will be swamped with seeds coming in soon. Good luck and may your collection grow!

[Frosti]

I see that many people are too embarrassed to admit their total.

Not too embarrassed, but I've completely lost sight of how many and which public varieties I have access to. I believe somewhere between 60 and 120. Maybe I need a better storage system than a few folders and a stuffed to the brim shoe box?