ceresone,

If you go to the main Tomato Forum, link at the top of this page and go to the top of the first page there, you'll see a link to the FAQ area.

Click on the FAQ link and go towards the bottom and you'll see a nice new FAQ on saving seeds from tomatoes.

It should answer all your questions, if not, you can ask them here and in addition do a search in the main tomato forum where all things tomatoey are discussed to see if any related threads are still in the nine back pages.

As for development of disease tolerant varieties and better taste if a specific OP variety is grown in pure form in an area for a few years, no, that is not likely to happen in a short span of time.

Such changes, and not documented for tomatoes, are called landraces and it takes actually thousands of years for landraces to adapt to an area.

There are some cold tolerant and heat tolerant varieties, but most were bred for those areas and not that many are actual heirlooms that adapted there, with few exceptions.

The taste of tomato is dependent primarily on the genes a variety has for those compounds that determine taste, and then factor in the soil being used, the climate, the method of growth, fertilizers used, and individual perception of taste and I think you'll see that there are many many variables that can determone the taste of fruits of a given variety.

Carolyn

thanks so much, i'd been feeling bad because , as much as i liked to eat the heirlooms, i wasnt doing anything to help keep them "pure", just enjoying the fruits of others labors, so to speak.so, that all said, perhaps i will just go ahead, and try all different varities.