Solanum lycopersicum
Origin: Ronan, Montana
Improvement status: Breeding population
Seeds per packet: ~30
Germination tested 11/2023: 90%
Life cycle: Annual
We are super excited and grateful to be offering this tomato grex from William Schlegel, of Ronan, Montana. (Special thanks as well for the amazing photos!)
Below is William's description for 'Mission Mountain':
"All tomatoes in this grex are descended from OSSI-pledged tomatoes, and I consider the project to be one where you the end user of these seeds and I are working towards breeding more open-source tomatoes together. I hope you take this still variable and segregating population and find something in it that does well in your garden. Then save seeds, name your new variety, and hopefully eventually repledge it to the Open Source Seed Initiative.
This breeding population of tomatoes is one I have made in the last few years working towards some new Montana-bred tomato varieties. It contains seed for what will be F2, F3, and F4 seedlings. Ancestors of this mix include Joseph Lofthouse’s Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) pledged 'Big Hill' (HX-9), OSSI-pledged 'Dwarf Mocha’s Cherry', and OSSI-pledged 'Dwarf Gloria’s Treat'. I also included as ancestors for disease resistance two accessions of the currant tomato Solanum pimpinellifolium LA1375 (PI 365967) an accession known for tolerance to brown rugose fruit virus, and PI 270443, which may be the source material for PH5 late blight resistance. I used 'Purple Zebra F1', a remarkable modern hybrid, bred for looks and heirloom flavor by artisanal breeder Mark McCaslin as another parent that may confer some resistances to a small portion of its offspring. I made a cross with a Solanum galapagense hybrid that showed up in my 2022 garden for another ancestor. Other ancestors include 'Mission Mountain Sunrise', a tomato Joseph Lofthouse calls 'Brad', 'Sweet Cherriette', microdwarf 'Aztek', Brad Gate’s 'Blue Gold', 'Brad’s Atomic Grape', as well as some unknown pollen donors. This mix is largely composed of F2 seed that will segregate in spectacular fashion. Reds, yellows, orange, green when ripe, bicolors, blue skin, potato leaf, regular leaf, and stripes are all possibilities. A small portion of the population may have elongated styles that stick out from the pollen cone facilitating higher rates of natural outcrossing — and it is possible that additional crosses could have occurred in 2023.
Specific Crosses include:
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' is a cross between 'Mission Mountain Sunrise' and 'Big Hill' (HX-9), the only F4 seed in the mix. 'Mission Mountain Sunrise' is 'Brad' x 'Blue Gold'
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x 'Aztek' now in the F3
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x 'LA1375'
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x PI270443
- 'Dwarf Gloria’s Treat' x LA1375
- 'Dwarf Gloria's Treat' x Unknown Regular Leaf Blue Bicolor Beefsteak
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' best stigma exsertion in F2 x Unknown fathers
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x 'Sweet Cherriette' now in the F3
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x 'Brad’s Atomic Grape'
- 'Mission Mountain Morning x (Solanum galapagense x unknown domestic)
- 'Mission Mountain Morning' x 'Purple Zebra F1'
- 'Dwarf Mocha’s Treat' x 'Mission Mountain Sunrise'
NOTE: If not otherwise mentioned, they are F2 seeds."
Let us know what sort of wondrous tomatoes you grow from this mix!
GROWING TIPS: Grow as any other tomatoes, starting indoors and planting out once the soil warms up a few weeks after last frost.
