×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Preventing Cross Pollination of Heirloom Tomatoes

Gardening Guide: The Everything Tomato Guide: All You Need to Know About Growing, Harvesting, Cooking, and Eating Delicious Tomatoes

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Preventing Cross Pollination of Heirloom Tomatoes

By Bill Dugan, Editor and Publisher

Bee on a tomato flower

Tomato plants are self-pollinating, because their flowers have both male and female parts. Most plants aren’t routinely exposed to natural cross-pollination, however, if a bee or other insect were to access some of the flower, cross-pollination could occur between two differing varieties of plants. Even the wind or a strong breeze can cross-pollinate tomatoes that are located near one another.
Heirloom tomato growers want to preserve the heritage of their plants and save the seeds for future growing seasons. So, avoiding cross-pollination is essential for genetic pureness. There are two main ways to avoid tomato cross-pollination:

Distancing Method

 

  • Distancing Method: The wind, if strong enough and in the right direction, can naturally cross-pollinate your tomato plants. By setting your plants apart at appropriate distances—3 to 4 feet between plants and 4 to 5 feet between rows to create buffer zones—you can minimize the possibility of wind-based cross-pollination of your heirloom tomato plants.

Blossom Bagging Method

  • Blossom-Bagging Method: While some bees tend to avoid tomatoes and other nightshade plants, other species of bees could find their way to your heirloom plants and cross-pollinate, ruining your heirloom tomatoes’ genetic purity. Your best bet to avoid cross-pollination from bees and other insects is to cover the plant blossoms with cloth material. Bag the blossoms before they open, but not when they are too small. Using properly-sized cloth bags with drawstrings can make this tedious task easier. Don’t tighten the bags too much, or you could kill the blossom. You’ll need to regularly tend to the bags—shaking them to self-pollinate and removing the bags when the fruit takes hold.

What types of heirloom tomatoes have you tried growing? Please tell us about your experiences with heirloom tomatoes.

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Tags

heirloom plants, tomatoes, types of heirloom tomatoes

Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Types of Tomato Plants: Standard, Hybrid and Heirloom
  • Preventing Cross Pollination of Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Classifications of Tomato Plants: Determinate vs. Indeterminate
  • Varieties of Tomato Plants
  • Growing Tomatoes from Seeds, Cuttings, or Seedlings
  • Growing Tomatoes in Open Land, in Containers, or in Raised Beds
  • Soil Requirements for Growing Tomatoes
  • The Right Sunlight for Your Tomatoes
  • Should You Fertilize Tomato Plants?
  • How and When to Water Tomato Plants
  • Harvesting and Pruning your Tomatoes
  • Storing and Preserving your Tomatoes
  • How to Spot, Treat, and Prevent Tomato Diseases
  • What to Do About Pests that Can Harm Your Tomato Plants
  • The Right Way to Weed Your Tomato Garden
  • Tomato Rot: How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Blossom-End Rot
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Tomatoes
  • Plant Profiles

  • Green Beefsteak Tomatoes
  • Red Beefsteak Tomatoes
  • San Marzano Tomatoes
  • Roma (or Plum) Tomatoes
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Recipes

  • Balsamic Bruschetta
  • Tomato Salsa
  • Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce
  • Fried Green Tomatoes
  • Stewed Tomatoes
  • Salsa Seafood Soup
  • Roasted Tomato Sauce
  • Cherry Tomato Salad
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Tomatoes
  • Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Tomatoes
  • Resources about Tomatoes
  • Tomatoes Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • The 15 Best Beefsteak Tomatoes To Grow in 2023
  • The Biggest Basil and Tomato Companion Planting Benefits
  • 7+ Perfect Plants for an Edible Front Porch Garden
  • The Best Vegetables to Grow in a Greenhouse
  • The Best Grow Lights for Tomatoes and Peppers
  • How to Prune Tomato Plants, Peppers, Cucumbers and More
  • How to Stop Vegetable Blight from Ruining Tomatoes
  • Yellow Leaves on Tomato Plants? 5 Reasons and Remedies
  • 5 Tomato Canning Supplies to Preserve Sauce Longer
  • How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly Three Ways
  • How to Kill Aphids on Tomato Plants with Stuff from Your Pantry
  • Gardening Equipment Every Tomato Gardener Needs
  • How to Grow Your Own Pizza Garden for the Best Pizza Parties
  • How to Avoid Tomato Blossom End Rot
  • How to Make Chicken Cacciatore in a Crock-Pot
  • The 5 Best Tomatoes for Salsa
  • The 10 Sweetest Tomatoes to Plant

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.