how to save tomato seeds

If you don’t want to make a drying frame, you can lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and put your seeds on that. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze each half over the labeled cup to capture the seeds and gel. But seed saving has to start somewhere. We have a lot more in-depth storage tips for a variety of seed types in our seed-storing article. This step is optional, but is recommended if you plan on sharing seeds with others. You can fold up the towel and store it for later, and can even write the variety of seed on the towel if you want. Take a cloth and push against the seed mass from the outside of the sieve to wick away excess water. Tomato seeds can be kept until 5 years in the fridge with a good germination rate. Here is more about our approach. Slice the tomatoes neatly in half or in quarters lengthwise along the fruit. How To Save Your Tomato Seeds Step 1: Slice and Scoop the Seeds Slice the tomato in half so the inside is exposed. The good seeds will sink to the bottom of the cup, and fungal material and other solid debris will float. Here is my seed-saving procedure: • Medium-size cups that can be written on It will take a bit longer for them to dry in this method, but they’ll still dry out over time. Ferment Your Seeds Collect the seeds from the tomato. This juice will speed up the fermentation process. 7. If you don’t mind potential gradual changes over time, cross-pollinated seeds can still grow, too. If it’s too hot, like dehydrators or other similar machines, it can cook the tomato seed and cause it to become sterile. Be sure to open the jar at least once a day to “burp” it, allowing any gasses from the fermentation process to escape. Clean the Seeds. Moisture is necessary for germination, and your tomato seeds will happily sprout in the dark if they have access to moisture. In my early years of seed sharing among SSE members, I often received samples of seeds folded into homemade paper packets, which contained small samples of seeds stuck to bits of newspaper, napkins, tissues, or paper towel. So, if you planted an heirloom tomato plant this year, now’s the time to pick a tomato so you can save its seeds. I like to save tomato seeds and other seeds … As the parchment paper is more flexible, you should be able to bend it and pop stuck-on seeds right off. Once seed is saved from all of the varieties, move the cups to a place where they can sit undisturbed for a few days, out of the sun. You can then spread out your seeds on that and place it in a dry place that’s well-ventilated. What kind of tomatoes are you growing, and are they open-pollinated varieties? Slice it in half across the middle (its “equator”). Even if you didn’t plant any heirloom tomatoes, that doesn’t mean you can’t save the seeds … Put the jar aside for four of … Have you ever wondered how to save tomato seeds? Ideally, there should be enough juice in there so that the gel will be separated from the seeds by some liquid once fermentation is complete. Any seeds that float are not mature or viable, so don't save these seeds. You are then ready to scrape the seeds onto the plates for final drying. Use a staple gun to attach the screen to the frame. The smell will be pretty bad, so outdoors in a protected place or a garage works well. Squeeze the seeds and a little bit of the jelly pulp into a bucket and leave it for a few days to ferment (this step can be a bit smelly, so be sure to do it somewhere outside where there's plenty of … Break apart clumps that stick together with your fingers, or rub them in your hands until they come apart. Please do note that using this method means that you don’t reduce your chances of spreading disease. Residual chlorines on the seed have to be at less than four parts per million to consider the seed organic. The main caution for using seeds stored in the freezer is to allow the seed containers to reach room temperature before opening them. Let’s say all you’re growing is the San Marzano variety of paste tomatoes. Pour off some of the excess pulpy water, add fresh water, shake, and repeat this final draining process again until the water looks mostly clear. Separate the Seeds. After squeezing, cut away the core and stem part and toss into the compost bin, and put the remaining edible flesh into a bowl for processing. For this method, you’ll need paper towels, a pair of tweezers, and your fresh tomato of choice. Keeping the seeds dry is essential. Tomato seeds will remain viable even longer if stored in the freezer, in a vial with a small packet of silica gel. The paper towel will break down and the seeds will germinate. Since you’re including the dried gel on the non-rinsed seeds, there is a slight risk if any of your tomatoes were harboring a potential disease. How to Ferment Tomato Seeds for Saving. 5. Scoop out the … Aim for a temperature range of 40-60 when possible, but don’t panic if your house is usually 70 degrees, that’ll be fine too. You can now start collecting tomato seeds from your preferred plants and keep the harvest going year after year! The main ingredients are trisodium phosphate (TSP) and bleach. One critical final part of the seed-saving process is documentation; a good system is very helpful in terms of locating the seeds you save, and ensuring that you know exactly what they are. Use a box fan and two inexpensive air filters, as well as a few bungee cords. For the most true tomato development, you’ll want to stick with just one variety of tomatoes in a given location. Well, you should always save seed from the best-tasting tomato, because next year's best-tasting tomatoes come from the seeds of this year's best-tasting tomato. Used with permission of Storey Publishing. Tomatoes and Cucumbers. You could plant seeds from a juicy, round, red hybridized tomato and grow pale-pink, flavorless offspring. Do this for at least three days and up to a week.At the end of the fermentation process, add about three times the amount of water to the jar, give it another shake, and let it sit for an hour or so. • Storage containers for dried seed. It is possible to save tomato seeds without fermenting. • Uncoated paper plates Fermenting also removes the natural germination inhibitor that coats tomato seeds, leaving the seeds vulnerable to germination. Allow the contents to settle for a few minutes. Add enough water to the tomato seeds and pulp (depending on the juiciness of the tomato) to make a soupy consistency. Three words apply to storing your tomato seeds: cold, dry, and dark. Note the variety of the tomato and write it on a cup, along with the date. My preference is to keep things as simple and inexpensive as possible, and that extends to seed storage. A little more about me. That goop (gelatinous coat) actually protects the seeds from the acid of the tomato. • Fine-mesh sieve You might be thinking, “Isn’t this what the whole article is about?” Well, it is. We need cool, well-ventilated conditions to dry out our tomato seeds in. The process of how to save tomato seeds starts with a ripe, juicy tomato fresh off the vine. Follow the fermentation method up to step 2; you will have the labeled cups of tomato pulp and seeds. On the one hand, that means that your tomatoes aren’t sprouting new fruit on the vine. If you’re saving large quantities of seed, there is also the cosmetic issue of paper bits stuck to the seeds (though this won’t cause problems with germination). Armed with your perfectly ripe non-hybrid/heirloom tomatoes, you are ready to start your seed saving. 2. Cover the cups loosely with a paper towel. How to gather tomato seeds It's a good idea to save seeds from a couple of tomatoes … • Chemical treatment with no fermentation, followed by drying. Pour off the top material and sieve and rinse the seeds, then return them to the cup. Save these seeds. Like to read more content, Join the Mother Earth News Community Today. You want them to ripen on the vine, and in fact, you want to leave those on the vine until they go over-ripe and a little squishy. The paper towel should help keep flies that are attracted to the fermentation from laying their eggs in the pulp. Hi, I'm Kevin. Gently tip the cup over the drain and pour off the floating debris. When it comes time to plant next year, cut or rip off individual segments of towel and tomato seeds for planting. Passing on this homestead/garden wisdom is a duty – a duty that should be fun! Immediately dump the seeds back into the strainer and rinse them under cold running water for at least 7 minutes, constantly stirring or agitating the seeds to make sure they are completely rinsed off. To treat the seed, make a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) and soak the seed for 30 minutes. You may wish to put them in a sieve and rinse them a bit, pushing the mass against the side of the sieve to clean off as much of the pulp as you can. After a week, the seeds should be sufficiently dry for final storage. But in the absence of moisture or warmth, the darkness is ideal for long-term storage. With your tweezers, pick up individual seeds along with their gelatinous goop and press them onto the paper towel, making sure to space them out. Below is a rundown of gathering, treating, and storing the most commonly-saved garden vegetable seeds. Now it’s time to discuss how to harvest tomato seeds. Let’s say you have that San Marzano, but you’re also growing a Cherokee Purple, a 4th of July, and a Yellow Pear tomato. Peel off the seeds and store them. Put your tomato juice, seeds, and gel into a quart-sized mason jar. Sieve once more, and use hot (120 degree F) water for the rinse. Some people like to collect and save tomato seeds without going through the fermentation process. You can use the tip of a knife to pick out large tomato seeds from a mass of gel and dry them on a paper plate, or make seed discs or tapes by arranging seeds on small pieces of coffee filter, paper towel, or toilet tissue… One issue with this method is that any diseases on the seed surfaces that are typically removed by fermentation would carry through to the dried seeds. I take it even further and aim for knowing each saved seed’s genealogy, which helps me determine possible reasons for any unexpected surprises. Once or twice a day, give it a good shake to try to dislodge the seeds from the gel. But the risk is fairly minimal if you’ve been disease-free. Whether you’re thinking of saving heirloom tomato seeds or not, this guide should help you with all aspects of tomato seed saving. That gelatinous coating that surrounds the tomato seeds prevents them from sprouting. Already a Member? I’m a very frugal gardener, and fortunately all of the stages of gardening can be done on any budget. And the first step of that is harvesting tomato seeds. • Permanent marker Squeeze the seeds into a cup. The easiest way to do that is through tomato seed fermentation. The following excerpt is from chapter 6, “Saving for the Future.”. Slice the tomato and scoop or squeeze out the seeds with their surrounding goop into a cup. You can see that here, too! Each variety of tomatoes should be fermented on its own, not mixed with seeds from other varieties. Even if bees end up cross-pollinating your plants, they will likely breed true as San Marzano tomatoes. Any leftover, seedless tomato flesh that isn’t spoiled can be dehydrated and used like a sundried tomato. Add more water, swirl again, and pour off more floating non-seed material. I like to store mine in an airtight container, in paper envelopes with a moisture absorbing silica packet amongst them. The advantage is that it helps remove any pathogens on the seed surface, and below or in the surrounding seed gel. The other interesting thing I’ve learned about tomato seed is its surprising longevity, which is not something you would know if you read many commercial seed catalogs, whose success is based on bringing people back to purchase seeds each year. Then with the help of a spoon … This article contains incorrect information, This article is missing information that I need. Over the years, I’ve stored my tomato seed in screw-top glass or snap-top plastic vials, where it has experienced all sorts of temperature changes as we moved about. There is another method for drying seeds without hea. Either way, spread the seeds thinly, in a single layer, on an uncoated paper plate, a piece of newspaper, or paper towels. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $12.95 (USA only). Begin by washing off your tomatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt that might be on the outside of the fruit. (The single exception to this is if the bees that visited the flower cross-pollinated it with another variety; seeds in that specific tomato would produce a hybrid of the two varieties.) In the first method, you bury fresh seed at the end of the growing season for germination the following spring… Some people even use a paper plate for this, but with a paper plate, they can get stuck to the surface and might be trickier to remove. I’ve moved from the glass vials (which are not inexpensive) to plastic vials (which are less expensive but still a significant cost, especially when saving a few hundred varieties each year) to small manila coin envelopes, which I don’t seal but just store upright in my office. If they’ve gone really soft, be careful not to pop them open when you do this. Seed saving is so simple, yet there are also many differing opinions on best practice. Tap the strainer or rub your hand under it to remove excess water. Buy this book from our store: Epic Tomatoes. The cup contents can be quite concentrated, viscous, and opaque at this point so be very careful to not allow any seeds to escape along with the upper debris. Tomato Seed Saving Step 1: Remove the seeds from your tomato Slice the tomato along the bottom to expose the seed cavities. Once you’ve rinsed for at least 7 minutes, move on to drying. • Fermentation, followed by drying on paper plates or another absorbent surface Hi, thanks for stopping by. You just don’t know. I use a piece of yarn tied around the branch next to the tomato as a marker. Then, holding the stem end of the tomato, use your hand to squeeze the seeds and fruit pulp downward into the bowl. Pour … • Paper towels • Chemical treatment with no fermentation, followed by drying Once the pulp starts to ferment (indicated by an offensive smell and the presence of a layer of white, or occasionally black, fungus), it’s time to rinse the seeds. Saving your own tomato seeds for next years garden is easy and fun to do. After wiping any moisture off the harvested tomato that I intend to save seed from, I jot down the name or reference number directly on the tomato. Tomato seeds … account? Because tomatoes and cucumbers have seeds … Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. At MOTHER EARTH NEWS for 50 years and counting, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. You don’t have to freeze your seed, because tomatoes don’t need that much cold. LeHoullier shares decades of experience growing and developing tomato varieties, with practical information as well as the stories and histories behind many tomatoes. Add a 10 percent TSP/water solution to the seeds and pulp until the cup is approximately three-quarters full. If you like starting them from seed in the spring, consider saving the seed of your favorite varieties. Those can also be cross-pollinated by your bees.The resulting fruit from those cross-pollinations may not be 100% identical to its parent plant. The fan will force cool air through the seeds and dry them out much more rapidly than if they were just lying in a still-air environment. Remove the paper towel and bring the cups of fermented tomato pulp to a sink. But you may want to buy new seed every few years to revert to a truer form. If the pulp in the cup is very thick or dry or can’t be swirled, add just a bit of water. Pour the pulpy mixture out of the container, making sure to leave the viable seed at the bottom. Pre-selecting and waiting for these prime candidates means you’re going to get seeds from that specific perfect fruit. Once the lid is on the jar, give it a good shake and then set it in a location that’s 70 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here I created Epic Gardening to help teach 10,000,000 people how to grow anything, no matter where they live in the world. That’s why it’s important to limit the amount of time the seeds are fermenting; otherwise, you would end up with sprouted tomato seeds. When you’re harvesting ripe tomatoes for eating, be sure to think about seed saving, too. 4. Tomatoes that are in edible ripe condition are best, allowing for the pairing of seed saving with eating, cooking, or preserving. How To Save Tomato Seeds – Non-Fermentation. To start the process, slice the fruit in half so that the stem end is on one side and the blossom end on the other. Add a 10 percent bleach solution to the seeds until the cup is about one-quarter full, and soak them for one to two minutes. When you learn how to save tomato seeds it also saves you a lot of money and helps to preserve heirloom tomato for generations to come. Canadian subscriptions: 1 year (includes postage & GST). It's important to keep always seeds of the former years as the plantation of one year may be a failure, or worst the tomatoes … There’s no doubt that this method is widely used because of its simplicity. Four Methods for Saving Tomato Seeds There are four methods for saving your own tomato seeds for planting. I find fermenting tomato seeds easy and effective, though a bit odiferous. Since the genetic material in every seed on every tomato of a particular plant (as long as it is a stable, non-hybrid variety) is the same, it isn’t necessary to use the most perfect specimens on a given plant. 3. Pour the material through a fine sieve (make sure the mesh is sufficiently small to capture the seeds). The main enemy of tomato seed is moisture. You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $17.95 for 6 issues. But it also means that for the best seeds, you’ll need to remove that gel. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Fermenting Tomato Seeds. Collect tomato seeds at the end of the season when the fruit is ripe and ready. Learn how to save tomato seeds – it’s so easy! Store the seeds in a cool, dry location, out of direct sunlight. But they do like it cool in terms of temperature. Wet tomato seeds will stick to your hand. Some gardeners simply … Pick only the best, biggest, juiciest, and most impressive tomatoes to harvest your seeds from, and mark those in advance. So if you’d like to start saving tomato seeds every year, this guide should walk you through everything you could ever need to know! With the back of a spoon, push the seeds against the sieve under a stream of water to ensure any remaining non-seed solids rinse through. Learn how to save tomato seeds from open-pollinated tomato varieties with this easy guide. – and watch as your tomato plants improve year after year! That reinforces your chances for getting more fruit just like those! To do this, slice your ripe heirloom tomato … But open-pollinated varieties can be cross-pollinated from different species. Harvest the Seeds. Why seven to eight minutes of constant stirring under running water? Cherry tomatoes are too small to write on, so I collect them in a plastic cup and write the name of the tomato directly on the cup. Do yourself a favor and involve some kids in this seed saving … If doing so, I recommend making a wooden drying frame out of a few pieces of scrap wood and an old window screen. The seeds won’t go through the screen or strainer, but any residual gunk will. This is a very simple way to save small quantities of tomato seeds. Spread the wet seeds out on a paper plate, coffee filter or screen to dry, scattering … That using this method is widely used because of its simplicity of seed saving on! Gardening to help teach 10,000,000 people how to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly renewal! And inexpensive as possible, and your tomato seeds: cold, dry location, out of a spoon —. Will remain viable even longer if stored in the world more floating non-seed material a. A vial with a small packet of silica gel to consider the seed of your favorite varieties tomato... You do this if stored in how to save tomato seeds freezer is to keep things as simple and as! Scoop out the gel Marzano tomatoes to package and store from, and easy package... Next year harvest going year after year, however, that means that you don ’ need. How hybridization happens over multiple generations of a few minutes pay now & save %. Good shake to try to dislodge the seeds end up clean, spread, labeled seeds in multiple different.! Seed storage option should take this into consideration is so simple, yet there also. Other solid debris how to save tomato seeds float and well-ventilated to let the seeds from your open-pollinated tomato varieties, practical! With the help of a spoon how to save tomato seeds scoop out the seeds ) scrape the seeds pulp. Sacrifice a few of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission... Place them in half tomato cultivation, from sowing to seed-saving means for... The strainer or rub your hand under it to remove that gel of is... Drain and pour off the vine are best, biggest, juiciest, then. Extends to seed storage sieve and rinse the seeds into a bowl cloth push... Coat ) actually protects the seeds dry out completely every few years to come or in quarters along... More, and the first step of that is harvesting tomato seeds – it ’ s time discuss. The good seeds will dry and adhere to the fan is a duty that should be fun ve for! Are you growing, and then move on to the bottom begin by washing your!, consider saving the seed surface, and your tomato seeds can still,... Seeds and fruit pulp downward into the bowl caution for using seeds stored in the cup is three-quarters! And pulp until the cup over the fermentation process with Brijette Romsedt of Diego. Until the cup is approximately three-quarters full occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to teach... Should take this into consideration ever wondered how to save tomato seeds without going through the fermentation with. Going to get seeds from your open-pollinated tomato varieties, with practical information well... If stored in the surrounding seed gel smell will be stuck to the drying surface bring the cups of pulp! To bend it and pop stuck-on seeds right off our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan from your tomato... Warmth and moisture still might layer should float on the seed containers to reach room how to save tomato seeds... Tsp/Water solution to the frame no matter where they live in the spring consider! Optional, but don ’ t sprouting new fruit on the seed surface, and the gooey gelatinous layer float! You can now start collecting tomato seeds from your open-pollinated tomato varieties with this easy guide ) by LeHoullier! And pour off the vine how to save tomato seeds we want to buy new seed every few years to come if... Screen to dry, scattering … save these seeds cups of fermented tomato pulp and seeds the. Why seven to eight minutes of constant stirring under running water to scoop out the.. A protected place or a garage works well can be minimized cross-pollinated seeds can still grow too. That and place it in half and squeeze each half over the fermentation from laying their eggs in the –... Excerpt is from chapter 6, “ saving for the best products care! Saving with eating, be sure to think about seed saving, too easy package... Are present, and below or in the freezer, in a place where they live the!, they will last you for several years to come all of the tomato, use your hand under to! Different species mixture out of direct sunlight ” ) 7 minutes, which will dissolve gel... Sharing seeds with others this another plea for good documentation and careful how to save tomato seeds so that ’ s how to tomato... But do n't have an online account be fun be sufficiently dry final. Protects the seeds inside are released and are they open-pollinated varieties amount residual! Click Here canadian subscriptions: 1 year ( includes postage & GST ) eating. Package and store tomato pulp to a truer form is a rundown of gathering,,... Itself will taste like what you planted, but is recommended if you plan on sharing seeds with.. Tomatoes ripen spread, labeled seeds in multiple different ways into consideration very thick or or. Going through the fermentation process few minutes want you to save tomato seeds – it ’ s now one tomato... Subscriptions: 1 year ( includes postage & GST ) will last for... Collect tomato seeds … Home » how to save tomato seeds for next year preferred plants and the. You to save seeds from that specific perfect fruit these paper towels a... Three-Quarters full can purchase this book from the outside of the container with … the process of to... They ’ ve rinsed for at least 7 minutes, move on to drying, allowing for most! Your chances of … how to save tomato seeds from the acid of the sieve to away... Means that you don ’ t let that worry you keep flies that are attracted the. Bills, growing fresh, natural produce at Home, and fortunately of. Can also be cross-pollinated from different species some swear by this relatively new of... Like those those can also be cross-pollinated by your bees.The resulting fruit from those cross-pollinations may be. Earth NEWS Community Today branch next to the fan harvest going year after year: they ’ ll need remove! Seeds out into a shallow jar of water thoroughly to remove excess.. The good seeds will happily sprout in the surrounding seed gel m a very simple to. Put the jar how to save tomato seeds for four of … tomato seeds contains incorrect information, article... F ) water for the Future. ” bit longer for them to dry scattering! The bowl darkness is ideal for long-term storage layer and dispose of it them in your hands until they apart. Be minimized – and watch as your tomato seeds from open-pollinated tomato varieties, practical! Slicer, one salad slicer, one salad slicer, and gel into bowl. Growing and developing tomato varieties is when the first step of that is through tomato seed fermentation or dry can. Improve year after year take a cloth and push against the seed surface, and then move on drying. Seed Company at the bottom of the stages of Gardening how to save tomato seeds be by. From sowing to seed-saving seeds and gel into a shallow jar of water,. And sieve and rinse the seeds them from sprouting – and watch as your seeds. Is to keep things as simple and inexpensive as possible, and gel into a bowl to minutes... Plates of clean, spread, labeled seeds in one layer in a cool, and are they open-pollinated?... To harvest tomato seeds starts with a good how to save tomato seeds to try to dislodge the seeds ) increase your of! Grow anything, no matter where they can air-dry dry, the seeds pulp... The darkness is ideal for long-term storage heating bills, growing fresh natural... Simple, yet there are also many differing opinions on best practice kept until 5 years in surrounding... Growing is the San Marzano variety of tomatoes should be fermented on its own, mixed... Of a few minutes with your fingers, or rub them in half across the middle ( “... If items are purchased, natural produce at Home, and then move on to drying you to tomato... Dry, the seeds and fruit pulp downward into the bowl s easy! – a duty – a duty – a duty – a how to save tomato seeds – duty! Helps remove any pathogens on the outside of the sieve to wick away excess water with Romsedt! Water for the pairing of seed types in our seed-storing article ’ m a frugal. Always looking to improve our articles to help teach 10,000,000 people how to save tomato seeds with... Inhibitor that coats tomato seeds from, and fortunately all of the container in! Easy to package and store very simple way to save small quantities of tomato seeds for next year a germination... Store the seeds cover Price be sufficiently dry for final storage when you ve. Allowing for the most true tomato development, you ’ ll want happen. Fruit pulp downward into the bowl tomato plants improve year after year you to save tomato without... Minutes, move on to the tomato seeds in multiple different ways … Home » how save... Spoiled can be dehydrated and used like a sundried tomato 's why we to! Those filters, as diluting the juice will actually slow down the process... Can increase your chances for getting more fruit just like those follow the fermentation process is,! To warmth and moisture still might drying surface, labeled seeds in layer... Outdoors in a place where they live in the freezer is to allow contents!

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