[koliber]

You mention that there are plenty of heirloom tomatoes that area easy to grow. Two sentences later you say that you can't replant the seeds because they are F1 hybrids.

I think a clarification is in order. The general consensus is that if a tomato is an heirloom it is not a hybrid, and vice versa.

I have had excellent luck with growing plants from collected seeds for any of the heirloom tomatoes I've grown. With hybrids, your mileage may vary.

That being said, I find heirloom tomatoes to be a lot more finicky to grow. Various species are sensitive to diseases. Excessive rain increases chances of diseases, and therefore, a green house or at least rain cover helps out.

That being said, I encourage anyone to try growing their own tomatoes. You will get fruit! It's hugely satisfying. Once you eat a good tomato, it feels like you are in on a secret most people don't know about.

[oppositelock]

Sorry, I plant both. I can plant harvested heirloom seeds (but find it more convenient to buy them). The Early Girl tomatoes, whose flavor I really like that I mentioned are hybrids which don't re-plant well.

I agree, that heirlooms are more difficult to keep happy - they're just more sensitive to "stuff".

[jdmichal]

And even then, you can typically grow a plant from a hybrid seed. Now, whether that plant will produce fruit that resembles the one you got the seed from is an entirely different question. For instance, attempting to grow apple seeds will typically get you a crabapple tree. Cultivars are clones grafted onto crabapple rootstock.