William Schlegel

So this year's direct seeded row of BH x W4 G2 is next to a row of beets. In the beet row are a few clumps of volunteer tomatoes from last year. They are markedly bigger than the direct seeded row from this year.

I suspect this is perhaps partially the effect of having the winter in soil to embibe. Also partially may be genetics. Last year's direct seeded tomatoes were mostly F2 either 50% Blue Ambrosia or 50% Big Hill plus a few half wilds that seemed to contribute minusculely to the population. So this year's volunteers are probably F3 or perhaps G3 and given the semi promiscuous nature of that population might be rehybridizing at a high rate. It could also be their fourth year with direct seeded parents in my garden so the volunteers may have adapted some to this soil and climate. I suspect I'll have a tremendous amount of G3 and G4 BH x W? Seed by this fall. Will probably be direct seeding more of it next year. Will be curious to see what it's capable of after ~4 generations of obligately out crossing and direct seeding. Also the promiscuous tomatoes should pollinate the exserted tomatoes but not vice versa. So if I can find a exserted volunteer near the promiscuous row and save it's seeds a good precentage of those may be hybrids with the promiscuous next year.

Got some rototilling done. Corn seed crop is up.

Found a pretty fava flower.

Hi Ryan,

Joseph Lofthouse has an existing crookneck landrace. I got a packet back in 2017 and another this year (though from a 2014 growout). I've planted both packets in a tomato isolation garden with Big Hill tomato. If any prove to be vining instead of bush I'll make sure to save seeds from them for you.


"Lofthouse Landrace Crookneck
I keep squash shape and color consistent with the traditional crookneck phenotype. I allow diversity of other traits like leaf shape, inter-node length, and days-to-maturity. Contains mostly bush types with a few percent semi-sprawling type vines. ~40 seeds. " Description From Joseph's website

The above quote from Joseph's website suggests a few percent with semi-sprawling type vines. I doubt there were 100 seeds in both packets combined. So far I've spotted one germinant. Though even if the trait doesn't show up in this grow out it might still be held in recession if it happens to be a recessive trait. Hopefully lots germinate and contribute pollen and fruits to the population and it proves a good representative of Joseph's landrace.

Transplanted the one clump of Tarahumara chia I started in a pot out to the land. There is actually a mini row of tiny direct seeded ones right next to it.

Also rougued the contract tomatoes. Tomatoes do cross and there were actually a lot of off types. So I pulled them up and walked them over to my genetically slushy isolation field. If they survive the rough treatment I'll evaluate them for any interesting traits.  Likely to be boring reds though.

Also took a photo of this year's row of direct seeded tomatoes. True leaves, moving right along!

Third generation since crossed back to Big Hill (but I think 7th generation overall) promiscuous tomatoes are sprouting in my greenhouse. Twenty three of them (edit: more today) so far. Left a big space for these in the fenced garden. They will be a month or more later than the forty G2 tomatoes, but that may give me time to pull the worst of G2 before it has a chance to pollinate G3.

I'm excited by the heightened probability of edibility in these generations!

Camas patch is doing well. It has camas, balsam root in background, clarkia, corn salad, sun chokes, dill, showy milkweed, and cilantro.

Well after a brief victory when I got it to start I conceded failure and took my blue rototiller in for a probable point repair. I took the red rototiller in yesterday. This left me only with the corded electric.

So I rototilled with it and planted the exserted Tiger tomatoes G3.

Then in the garden I did rototill whith the blue rototiller when it started yesterday I planted the exserted orange hill tomatoes G3.

That means the major tomato planting is over and there are just some late ones that will need planting later.

I've focused this year on the 3/4 domestics that seemed so promising in Joseph's garden last year. The best of them are going into the fenced garden. Have some planted and some more seed planted (G3) and garden space held for those. Waiting for germination!

The seed I grew of 3/4 wilds went into the general population as a frost test, a regular plant out, and a direct seeding. I expect it to segregate into edibility at a higher rate than before but not as high as the plants that were best from 2019 in Josephs larger growout.

Then I also in the general population have some pure habrochaites of a new strain, pure peruvianum, and pure arcanum. I have what I believe to be high percentage penellii and high percentage habrochaites from wild maternal cytoplasm as well. Also a three way cross Joseph sent that has domestic maternal cytoplasm.

Then I have a mini population with lots of penellii and one peruvianum. I hope that it will result in a good amount of presumptive penellii x peruvianum seed with peruvianum as the mother for 2021.

I haven't grown any more chilense this year which is probably the most promising germ plasm for crossing with peruvianum I have. It's also the tomato hardest for me to cultivate based on my 2019 results which was plants that died young before blooming.

I also have all thoughts about making embryo rescue peruvianum on hold till a time when I have more time.

I'm very curious about the crossed accessions peruvianum x domestic Andrew mentions. Particularly in terms of generation?

I intend to plant an exserted domestic right next to the Arcanum but not sure if I'll get it done or be able to grow the resulting seed enmasse if I do. A controlled Arcanum x domestic cross should be possible and would result in another interesting line of its own. However is not reportedly a good bridge after all but rather something interesting in its own right.

Roads not travelled this year include not growing many of the exciting penellii germ plasm from last year yet. Though there is penellii in the 3/4 domestic lines and Joseph thought it produced some of the best 2019 flavors. I counted about nine plants with penellii leaf surface dots in the best flavor population. I meant to sort them but didn't. Small possibility there that crossing behavior may be directional based on something Andrew and Joseph were pointing out the other day. Penellii can in theory pollinate domestic, habrochaites, and peruvianum. However perhaps not the reverse. If the hybrids behave at least partially in the same way we should expect penellii hybrids to pollinate: penellii hybrids, perhaps back pollinate pure penellii (we think we have such a population, domestics, habrochaites and hab hybrids, and maybe peruvianum. However habrochaites hybrids probably cannot pollinate penellii hybrids. Though this thought may be taking that thinking to far. It's also possible that complex penellii x hab x domestic hybrids can pollinate in both directions depending on which genes are present and from whom. Though I do suspect that in our multiple wild species promiscous lines there is probably some odd crossing behavior that may be undetectable. If we add more species it may further complicate that within a general multi species hybrid zone population. Which makes me wonder if we need multiple populations with 150 feet of separation between. Even in the 3/4 domestic population wonder if we should separate out the penellii influenced portion and grow it by itself? Also makes me wonder if we could ultimately have multiple promiscuous populations derived from different parental stock that still behave like separate species. I.e. penellii based, habrochaites based, peruvianum based, and arcanum based? As opposed to a universal hybrid zone in which you might end up with plants with small introgressions from all species like modern domestic tomatoes but uncertain pollen flow behaviors.

Some seedlings and such.

First things to bloom will be the first to set seed.