If I am growing different varieties of say tomatoes in close proximity to each other, will I end up with messed up hybridized fruit?

I’m planting 4 different kinds in raised beds, so they are only separated by a few feet from one another.  Same goes for some other plants I have more than one kind of.

I probably wouldn’t care, but I want to try collecting seeds later and this was the first thing popped in my head.

The short answer: no. That's not really how that works

Now if you're saving seed to grow next year, yes. The seeds will be hybridized. If you're worried about cross pollination, use pollination bags.

But if its just a single gen food producer, no worries. The fruit will be the same as the variety.

fpni

FPNI...the seeds themselves will be hybridized, the fruit will not.

Times when this matter is when you're eating the seeds of something, like sweet corn. Because the "vegetable" IS the seed, it is hybridized and there can be taste differences from kernel to kernel.

Well it sounds about how I though.  Plants will function just fine, seeds probably not so much.  Not the end of the world.

For future reference, how much separation would I need to expect this not to be an issue?  I'd imagine there are several factors that need consideration.  But is there a quick and dirty rule of thumb that works sufficiently?

The seeds would still produce edible tomatoes in all likelihood. Just not exactly variety X.

It's not like they're gonna mutate to some inedible fruit. They'll just be a tiny bit different, if even noticeable.

Separation would be a different garden, quite a ways away. They're pollinated by bees (and other insects) so spreading then out to protect from cross pollination would be a challenge.

If you're intent on keeping genetic identity, hand pollinate a couple blossoms as they open then bag them with a specifically made pollination bag. Three or four tomatoes will produce a lot of seed, so you don't have to do the whole plant.

Also bear in mind that tomatoes are self-fertile, meaning the male and female parts on the same plant can pollinate themselves and don't need other plants.

Usually, most of the time, the tomato flowers pollinate themselves. Insects help the process along and can cross pollinate. It's more common for the plants to self pollinate, but not always.

If you really want to keep genetic consistency across multiple generations, bagging is the only way to verify they're pure.

If you're just saving back some seed, just do a couple. Or don't even worry about it. Up to you I suppose.

I thought I saw somewhere that germination rate of hybrid varieties is very low. Heirloom varieties is what you seek for seed saving. I don't know about cross pollination of heirloom varieties.

A couple posters have nailed it already, but it's best to grow one variety or heirloom tomatoes and save a shit ton of seeds.

I LOVE several types, but for future gardening, pick one variety per year.

ETA: same with peppers!

Yeah. I mean, bagging is pretty freakin simple and you can just dedicate a couple flowers or one whole plant for genetic purity.




I grow several types of peppers and tomatoes every year, and I just bag a couple inflorescences to keep back for seed. I like variety in my garden. Some tomatoes are great for canning and sauce, while others are great for slicing.

Add bagging to your practice and you can grow whatever you want, while retaining seed for next year.

Or, of course, just deal with a tiny bit of genetic drift. The reality is that the tomatoes (heirloom or hybrid) you grow in your garden are very genetically similar. Cross pollination between the plants isn't going to destroy the lines.

Think of it this way:
Here is the total genetic spread for all tomato types: |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Here is the spread for edible, garden variety tomatoes: ||

Now if there's a wild-type introduced, that's where you can run into problems. But wild-types are extremely rare and not abundant, so the risk is really really low.

Like I said above, the odds of cross pollination occurring in your home garden are pretty damn low. Almost all tomatoes and peppers self-pollinate. There might be a flower or two (visited early by an insect/bee) that gets some pollen crossed over, but eh. Not a huge deal, even for seed storage purposes.

ETA I guess I'll share my source. I'm a research assistant working on wild-type gene expression and reintroduction to polluted hybrid genetic strains of tomato. I'm also a professional horticulturalist with a degree in horticultural science.

common misconception that the cross pollination affects the fruit itself.   I thought it was that way until I started reading up on it.

Its a good thing it doesn't.   Alot of plants only does pollen reception at one time and pollen shedding at another.   So you'd get little or no yield without cross pollination.