Saving Tomato Seeds

[trudy]

For those of you not familiar with the pocess of saving and fermenting tomatoe seeds here is a step by step process on how to do it. Its easy!

First pick out the best tomatoes for saving seeds from. Preferably blimish, and disease free. Make sure you know the variety you have. I usually take a marker and write the initials right on the tomatoe. Make an X in the bottom an squeeze out the seeds and juice into a cup. Label the cup also. If you want to eat the tomatoes and save some seeds out of it you can do that to, just add a little water to your cup of collected seeds. This is what I use:


Below is what your seeds will look like after a few days. This is what you want to happen.

After a few days to a week you will need to rinse the mold off your seeds. The seeds that are in sunk to the bottom of the cup are viable. Any floaters are no good. Throw them out.
Run under some water to clean them up.

All clean.

Next they need to dry, I use a coffee filter doubled up. I can write on it as to which variety it is. And they are reuseable and cheap.


Once they are dry, usually I let them dry overnight. I use my old pill bottles or baby food jars to store them in. Label and date them. I store mine in the freezer.

[Pharmer Phil]

Oh My...Gonna have to Exalt You, this is an Excellent Post Trudy!
It looks like a very familiar scene, played out every summer in our kitchen, evn use coffee filters, This is the bast way Pholks, Trudy... I give it a 10, good informative content, excellent Pics!

[trudy]

Why thank you. Its a ritual in my kitchen every summer. DH gets irritated with me cause I have seeds drying all over the place. trudy

[douglas]

Way to go trudy A+++++++++++

[Deleted]

Nice job Trudy!
Thats gonna have to go into the "X"files!

[jeanette]

thank you trudy.. i just got some seeds that i will certainly be saving next fall.. i needed that

[kabuti]

Trooday-Trooday-Trooday...we're doing some Sungold tom. seeds right now!

[douglas]

Shouldn't be much longer now when we can start our seed, I just love the smell of fresh Tomato leaves when you rub them in yer fingers

[poohbear]

Thank you! I wasn't sure how to do that. I bought heirloom tomato seeds this year (I didn't know the difference before) and so I want to be sure to save the seeds for following years!

[selfsufficientone]

kabuti,
Sungold is a hybrid.

[chickenfarmer]

[crazy1]

Heres to ya trudy

[Songbird]

I know I sound dumb, but you are "drying" seeds, right? Well you say put a little water in the cup, and then you say they get moldy and will need to by rinsed off....
I'm sorry, I don't get why you wouldn't rinse them right away and set them out to dry so they won't mold...
Is it something about those that float??
I need clarification please.

[douglas]

They have a gel around the seed so I take them one at a time and squish dem between my fingers to get it off and then let them finish drying on a small plate

[trudy]

If you are wanting to save the seeds, but you also want to eat the tomatoe (ex: make a tomatoe sandwich), you can remove the seeds and add water to the cup. If your not eatting the tomatoe then just squeeze some of the tomatoe juice in the cup with the seeds. The gel coat only helps the process, so really no need to remove the coating. I try to at least cover the seeds with either juice or tap water. You want them to develop a mold (this is the fermenting process), after they have gotten to this stage (it may take a few days to develop this mold) you want to drain off (remove) the mold. I add will add water to the cup, give them a few seconds to let the seeds settle to the bottom. Any that float will not be any good (not viable), so I slowly pour those out. I continue to do this (add water, settle seeds, pour out floaties), you will wind up with clear water and seeds) put them in a strainer and rinse them under the faucet just to make sure they are clean and any sediment that may still be attached to any of the seeds are removed. Then place them on something to air dry for at least overnight if not a day or two. You don't want your work ruined due to any moisture being left in or on the seeds. Hope this clears this up for you, if not lmk. trudy

[crazy1]

Thanx Trudy,
You've cleared it up phor me.

[Songbird]

sorry it took me so long to get back!
Yes, you did clear it up. Thank you!

so, what does the fermenting DO for the seeds?

[trudy]

It helps decrease any fungus and diseases from being transfered to the next crop of tomatoes. So I've been told. T

[Adeltia]

i did that to two of my plants from last year and those are all ready spouted this year.... going to keep do it. love reading these post.. Thanks for the help. Adelita

[deb65802]

one way to save seeds that you may not have thought of is to dehydrate the tomates. when the slices, pieces, thin chunks are dried the break off the seeds and store in a paper envelope.

I put only one kind on a tray at a time and label them. I have a bad memory.
deb

[strongtower9]

I didn't know that about fermenting the seeds.... thanx

[lilsparrow]

Do you only need to do this with tomatoe seeds? Or should I have also done it with the watermelon and eggplant seeds I saved?

[trudy]

As far as I know just the mator seeds. T

[lilsparrow]

Phew! Good, thanks!

[daylilydude]

There's only one step i think is missin' ! When they get nice and moldy you need to take the top off and stick your nose in there and take a big WHIFF ! If you do this its ready . (LOL!!)

[Compost Pharmer]

Or it will clean out your sinuses

[Christy]

thanks so much! great info! im gonna try my hand at savin tomato seeds, how long do ya keep em in the frezzer?

[hollyberrylady08]

[glow=red,2,300]Another way that I dry tomato seeds, that's fast, clean, and easy, not to mention successful - is you drop the tomato seeds fresh from the tomato, unwashed, onto a paper towel. Let the paper towel sit for 2 weeks, with the seeds stuck right to it. Then fold up the paper towel, place it in a ziplock baggie, and store the dried seeds at the bottom of your fridge. Come planting time, just tear a piece of the paper towel off with a seed stuck to it, and plant the piece directly into soil! Sure as anything, it will sprout - even stuck to the paper towel. No muss, no fuss, and no mold! No disrespect to other methods - just sharing mine.[/glow]

[Compost Pharmer]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I used to use paper towel but found out that wax paper is easier to remove the seeds from. Both methods work, personal preference.

[colorado]

I use uncoated paper plates to dry the seed on after fermentation. I use black marking pen on the plate and can reuse for same ones. When seed savingis over I toss. My understand it also take a jelly like stuff off the seed for better starting.

I dry other seed on the plates too but do not ferment. I use a colunder to wash such as squash seed. I wash and wash and then drain good before on to the paper plate.