Tomatoes and Belladona???

[Lesley Jay]

I have been asked to post this question by Dobby who is having problems posting a new thread.

Can tomatoes cross pollinate with Belladonna as they are part of the same family? Dobby grows Belladonna for incense.

[pigletwillie]

No,

tomatoes very rarely cross polinate with each other due to the very short sty or stamens in the flowers. They are even less likely to cross polinate with belladonna or even potatoes which are again in the same genus as are peppers and aubergines but only loosely related.

With tomatoes, you can have several varieties (not F1) in close proximity and save the seed and be almost certain that the seed will come true to type.

[nick the grief]

... And Belladonna was an album by Stevie Nicks

[Mrs Dobby]

Cheers Guys, Mr D was very worried about this, as we have the Belladonna in the back garden (yard) and are also planning on having some toms and chillis out there too!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Can tomatoes cross pollinate with Belladonna as they are part of the same family?

I was wondering who you were planning to bump off, for a mo!

[kirsty b]

Mr and Mrs D, how do you make incense? Apologies if I sound really thick, but I'm curious.
I like smellies in the house but air fresheners give me headaches (and most of them don't even smell that nice) . I mostly use essential oils, but am willing to try anything natural to scent the air indoors.
As I have a young child I would be wary of Belladonna, but are there other things I could grow to use?
Kirsty

[Mrs Dobby]

The type of Incense we make is usually burnt on a small charcoal block, and is mixed by grinding in a mortar and pestle, although you can prepare it in the same way, add some powdered charcoal and then coat a thin pice of dried grass or wood with honey and roll it in the incense mix to make your own incense sticks (very messy, but fun!)

Generally we will use dried herbs / flowers, along with resins, such as pine or myrrh to make the incense blend with, then burn on the charcoal block and see what it comes out like. Its a good idea to note down what you have used in the blend, along with quantities (by parts, not weights), and if you find one you like, then stick with it!

You can use any planys you like for incense, although you should follow the same sorts of precautions as you would using essential oils for various ailments, so it is wise to check a book or three before just burning them. Any flower head or fragrant leaf can be used, best if you dry it first as this concentrates the smell, and you can also use resins, pine resin is the easiest to get hold of, just look at any pine forest and there's oodles of it everywhere!

Some herbal incenses are said to have properties that can relax / invigorate / energise the mind and body, and others are also considered an aphrodisiac, so be careful what you wish to acchieve!

My fave single blends are belladonna, very dark and rich, and mugwort, which has a unique and wonderful smell.

Hope this is of some help!