It has become apparent with the odd word here and ther that there are several, maybe even many folks who are growing one or the other of these tomatoes.
I wold like to be able to compare notes, ideas and progress, so am inviting other growers to join me here,
But right up front I am stating.. I do not have seeds to spare, nor will I say where I got mine from as I don't want that person contacted through me.. is that fair. I suspect that there are other folks out there with them who might agree.
Now having said all that. I am keen to hear how others are getting on.
Mine are very tiny as they were planted only recently but even very small there is a shade of blue in the foliage, I know all toms have a tint but this is much stronger. Is it usual to see this at this young stage?
Please join me, these are very unusual and deserve a spot if folks feel they can join in.
XX Jeannine
I am growing OSU blue, but not blueberry, which is GM I believe.
I am also growing Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge, which definitely has anthrocyanin visible in the stems and leaf veins.
I've only had the OSU blue for a few days so they are yet to germinate, I got very poor germination and slow growth of the OFPS.
I have the original Purple Smudge but haven't grown it yet.
Blueberry GM..I was not aware of that, may I ask where you got the info as I would like to check it out.
Thank you for posting.
XX Jeannine
Im not growing either but am going to watch this thread with interest as im intrigued by a blue tomato
Quote from: Jeannine on May 07, 2010, 22:11:19
I have the original Purple Smudge but haven't grown it yet.
Blueberry GM..I was not aware of that, may I ask where you got the info as I would like to check it out.
Thank you for posting.
XX Jeannine
There is discussion of Blueberry and the confusion over its name and whether or not it is GM in this thread here (http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=11677&highlight=blueberry). It seems there is a European GM tomato called blueberry and a renamed strain of OSU blue called blueberry, confuses issues somewhat.
Here is something to read
http://hort.oregonstate.edu/faculty-staff/myers%20
Thank you Brown Owl, I doubt if any of us know very much and your imput might be useful. XX Jeannine
OOPS, posts crossed..off to read ,welcome Ruud XX Jeannine
Yes, I have read both the links before and see no evidence that there is GM involved anywhere. XX Jeannine
http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=BVNav&from=&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.groentennieuws.nl%2Fnieuwsbericht_detail.asp%3Fid%3D41791
Thia last article didn't help much but the picture was interesting as I understand it the blue in the tomatoes is onky in the skin and then onky if given unshaded light, the picture shows a blue tomato through and through, is this one of the enhanced photos I have read about,,,why is it blue right through. Is it the OSU or the European Blueberry?XXJeannine
I have seen numerous references to 'OSU Blue' aka 'blue tomato', 'P20', 'Blueberry #1', 'blueberry #2' which is definitely not GM.
People keep renaming them so it makes it difficult to keep track of names. The primary reason they are being renamed is because some people are obtaining the OSU seeds from multiple sources & they are under the illusion it makes it easier to identify which one is which if they give the seeds from each source a different name when in reality it just confuses things.
To confuse things further a lot of people are obtaining seed for Blaufruct (a well known although difficult to locate heritage variety) & believing it is another new blue tomato & again that is getting renamed too.
The only other blue tomato I have seen references to are this GM one which has snapdragon genes to give it it's colour. There are some people who believe this is actually crossed with a blueberry gene even though it is categorically stated that it was crossed with a snap dragon then again the same thing was believed about OSU Blue before accurate information about it's heritage was circulated. In any case this is a GM strain kept under lock & key which has not & hopefully will not be released around the world.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/oct/27/cancer-gm-food
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7688310.stm
Interesting..maybe we should all start eating snapdragons too..thank you XX Jeannine
Quote from: Jeannine on May 07, 2010, 23:12:55
Thia last article didn't help much but the picture was interesting as I understand it the blue in the tomatoes is onky in the skin and then onky if given unshaded light, the picture shows a blue tomato through and through, is this one of the enhanced photos I have read about,,,why is it blue right through. Is it the OSU or the European Blueberry?XXJeannine
Ruud's article refers to a GMO anthocyanin rich tomato, which is blue all the way through, as opposed to just in the skin as in OSU blue.
Here is another article on the GMO John Innes tomato.
http://www.jic.ac.uk/corporate/media-and-public/current-releases/081026martin.htm
Though apologies, the blueberry doing the rounds does not seem to be related to the John Innes tomato which was running under the same working name previously, the Blueberry doing the rounds seems to be a strain of OSU Blue.
How would we know?? The seeds are much smaller than the OSU..I guess I will have to grow it out and see!!
Anybody else got anything called Blueberry.
Not BlueFruit(Blaufruct) or Blue..which I have also
XX Jeannine
The only thing we can do is grow blueberry,if the toms are totally blue we know enough do we.
Quote from: Jeannine on May 07, 2010, 23:52:20
How would we know?? The seeds are much smaller than the OSU..I guess I will have to grow it out and see!!
Anybody else got anything called Blueberry.
Not BlueFruit(Blaufruct) or Blue..which I have also
XX Jeannine
It would seem the GM fruit was never released in any way so it is unlikely you have seed for the GMO tomato. My apologies for adding the confusion to the subject.
I am not sure how significant seed size is, if I compare my home saved seed of almost anything to the original commercially sourced seed, mine are nearly always a lot bigger.
To give an example of the renaming that goes on this post explains that 'Blueberry #1' & 'Blueberry #2' are simply names invented for 2 of the 3 lots of OSU Blue seeds this person had obtained from 3 different sources.
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?p=440497#post440601
Unfortunately there are several people doing this & these seed get distributed labelled with the new names which confuses the issue for other people.
As you can see in that thread people are also still under the illusion that the GM snapdragon one is in fact crossed with a blueberry which is complete & utter rubbish so that rumour may persist for a while yet.
Yep you are right Ruud, well mine are growing well so I shall continue to call them European Strain Blueberry for now which is what I was told they were..
No apologies needed , it is already confusing and I have read pretty much everything I could before I planted, this was the reason for the post...interesting to see others views.
Quite exciting too..if we get a blue skinned one taste it to rate it,if it is blue all through...don't suck it to see!!
XX Jeannine
So looks like we've cleared that up then.
In the GMO John Innes tomato photos, it shows them as a dwarf/container plant. There is also no visual darkened colouration on the stem or leaves.
I think it is most likely the 'Blueberry' plants I am growing are OSU Blue, although they currently show more darkening in foliage than those from OSU.
Quote from: Jeannine on May 08, 2010, 00:12:28
if it is blue all through...don't suck it to see!!
;D
Quote from: Jayb on May 08, 2010, 09:35:47
In the GMO John Innes tomato photos, it shows them as a dwarf/container plant. There is also no visual darkened colouration on the stem or leaves.
I think it is most likely the 'Blueberry' plants I am growing are OSU Blue, although they currently show more darkening in foliage than those from OSU.
Quote from: Jeannine on May 08, 2010, 00:12:28
if it is blue all through...don't suck it to see!!
;D
In pea genetics, several genes are involved in the depth of penetration of anthocyanin through the plant and eventually to the pods, I suspect the situation may be similar with tomatoes, but who can say how this entirely foreign snapdragon gene behaves in the GM crop.
some intresting reading about this topic.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=11677
I was reading somewhere in the last few days about the only GM tomato that was sold in stores,US I think, the Flavorsaver, it apparently tasted disgusting and the shop pulled them after a couple of days, the writer simply could not eat it. I will try anf find the article. XX Jeannine
Quote from: Jeannine on May 08, 2010, 10:24:00
I was reading somewhere in the last few days about the only GM tomato that was sold in stores,US I think, the Flavorsaver, it apparently tasted disgusting and the shop pulled them after a couple of days, the writer simply could not eat it. I will try anf find the article. XX Jeannine
Carol Deppe described FlavrSavr as tasting like gasoline, that said though FlavrSavr was an odd choice of GM meddling in that they tried to breed a tomato that stayed hard even when ripe, but this seemed to ignore the fact that flavours develop as the fruit softens.
So what do people here want to do with OSU Blue and its sublines? Just grow it and compare it to other anthocyanin producing lines, or do people want to engage in some breeding work with it?
It probably was Carol Deppe I was reading her book just yesterday.
Re OSU Blue, I have time on my hands now for the first time in a long time and I want to do a bit of work with some tomatoes and some squash, I started of being curious about the Blue, and will see what it is like.. I have heard the taste described as bland, not bad, good and a spitter,so we will see,of course like anything else taste can depend on weather,soil and growing methods. I shan't know till end of the season what I wil be doing with this one but I will isolate to keep pure for the seeds.
XX Jeannine
Quote from: Jeannine on May 08, 2010, 11:01:03
It probably was Carol Deppe I was reading her book just yesterday.
Re OSU Blue, I have time on my hands now for the first time in a long time and I want to do a bit of work with some tomatoes and some squash, I started of being curious about the Blue, and will see what it is like.. I have heard the taste described as bland, not bad, good and a spitter,so we will see,of course like anything else taste can depend on weather,soil and growing methods. I shan't know till end of the season what I wil be doing with this one but I will isolate to keep pure for the seeds.
XX Jeannine
I want to incorporate these blue genes into some really tasty tomatoes, maybe some cherries. I'm concerned about them just looking muddy coloured though, I think the blue is going to be a tricksy customer.
Good point, maybe we can all help each other..the point of thid post actually. I am woried as my plants are very tiny as I planted late but they are under growlights so am keeping fingers crossed Does anyone know if they are determinate or indereminate.. XX Jeannine
Don't get caught....the company owns those genes and they can and will cease seed/plants from other farmers/growers that has been contaminated with 'their' genes.
On the other hand if you can breed one with flavour as well, ha ha multimillion dollar multinationals
;D ;D ;D ;D
The plants i had last year were inbetween,just to small for indeterminate and to big for determinate,but they need staking.
did you prune them , did either one end with the growing tip turning into a flower truss XX Jeannine
Mine are still to germinate, with our total lack of spring I am worried that I may not get a crop at all. Which has left me wondering whether I should just use the flowers to cross with a tomato that will give me a crop this year.
I have been considering doing a cross between a blue shouldered tomato and Gold medal, to create a tricolour variety that is essentially banded horizontally, like a Zoom lolly.
My OSU Blue have fair sprung out of the dirt, this morning I have several seedlings showing their heads, very rapid germination.
My OSU are about 8" tall and growing really really well, i am keeping them in the front porch which is south facing and should get a lot of sun and heat, i have heard that the amount of sunlight determines the strength of blue.
Quote from: lottiedolly on May 09, 2010, 20:52:51
My OSU are about 8" tall and growing really really well, i am keeping them in the front porch which is south facing and should get a lot of sun and heat, i have heard that the amount of sunlight determines the strength of blue.
That and temperature yes. Bright but cool growing conditions would be the best as I understand it.
gp.girl, I watched an enlightening programme on TV a while ago about the devil child Monsanto and their GM crops, I also read about what they are doing to the poor farmers in the USA and how they are losing their farms over court cases against them for seed that has ben wind borne and then grown on their land, its disgracefull, and down the road from me between the Newbury and Basingstoke road is field up on field of Rape seed, its even growing on the roadside now. I wonder how long before the Monsanto spies start that lark here.
In respect of OSU blue, Ruud one of mine has started growing ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D, no sign of my Amish Paste coming up though ....Yet.
BUMP
How are things progressing now, mine are way behind everyone elses but still very clearly purple foliage XX Jeannine
All seem to be growing ok, although mine seem prone to leaves curling, a couple of the earliest flowers on the Blues have not set, but I wondered if this may have been due to cold weather at the time?
One of my Blues remains quite different in type, different leaf shape and no noticeable blue colouration anywhere. The Blueberries are still showing darker colouring on their stems and leaves than the Blues. Even though they are all in a polytunnel its quite obvious from the plants colouration whch is on the sunny side.
Blues vines are about 3½-4' high, flowering now on the 3 truss going on 4th.
Blueberries are starting flowering 2nd truss and about 2½' high.
Rightly or wrongly I'm treating them as cordon as that's what they seem to be.
These are of the Blues
[attachment=1][attachment=2][attachment=3]
Blueberries
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
Sunny to shady side reflects in the stems colouration
[attachment=3]
Mine are still in pots, putting them in the ground this weekend. I have OSu and OFPS to go out.
Thank you Jayb, very interesting.
I do wish mine hadn't been late and then held back pending ground being ready, and with the three weeks of rain we have had they are still not in the ground. Chucking it down now, supposed to stop in 2 hours then sun for a week, I am not holding my breath. Doubt I will get anything from mine at this rate.
Yours look super strong though,,I am dead jealous.
XX Jeannine
Well, my OSU and OFPS have both set fruit. They're quite different. The OSU are very dark purple, aubergine dark, the OFPS so far just have a dirty blueness to the green shoulders. The plants are quite different too.
My OSU has fantastic fruit set, has set in both the dry heat and the cool damp every flower on the truss producing a fruit.
I have fruit on my OSU, still small but very very dark blue, at firt it had a star shape of green where the light was shadowed by the foliage but it is blue all over now. Mine were planted very late si I am well behind, but they are coming XX Jeannine
Blue, not the tastiest of tomatoes, but visually....
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
[attachment=3]
Jayb are they all the OSU,, they look stunning. Are there any blueberry among them.
XX Jeannine
Used the same OSU in these photos :)
My Blueberries are smaller with more purple/black bleeding into the flesh, I'll try and do some photos next day or so
Blueberries, pretty much the same, just mine are a little smaller than OSU Blue. Glad to say inside is a regular red tomato colour. Taste is fairly bland!
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
I picked my first ripe one yesterday, haven't tasted it, I will sneak a taste when I open if for seeds later today.
It is part red part black, I think because it had a leaf shading it.
XX Jeannine
Same here, black in sunshine and red on the northside or if shaded :)
Quote from: Jayb on August 20, 2010, 08:04:46
Same here, black in sunshine and red on the northside or if shaded :)
Mine are the same, and i have tasted them and they are alright, i mixed them into a mixed tomato salad and it was a bit of a talking point looked really pretty also.
Kx
wow might have to grow these next year as I promised my boys black tomatoes and the chernomor, arent anywhere near black, not sure what the balck cherry or JBT are going toturn out like.
One of my boys wont eat a tomato unless its black bless him.