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| I have some heirloom and imported Italian tomatoes and I want to know the best way to harvest and save the seeds.
Thanks in advance |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Check out all the 'saving tomato seed' discussions over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here (direct linked on this forum's page near the top) and the FAQ on saving tomato seeds linked below. Dave |
Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - How to save tomato seeds
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| Fermenting the seeds is an old way of doing it, but not necissary. You can do the same job MUCH faster using stuff you probably already have in your cleaning closet. Scoop the seeds out, gel and all, and put them in a bowl. Get some counter cleaning powder like Comet or Old Maid that has some bleach in it, pour the powder into the soup until it becomes milky and a little thick. Let that mix sit for a few hours or overnight. The cleaning powder should have eaten through the gel at that point, so just pour the slurry through a strainer, then put the seeds in a bowl of water to rinse off. Any seeds that float you throw away, any that sink you put on a newspaper or paper towel to dry out for a few days, and then you're good to go. And you don't have to worry about moldy foul smelling tomato rot in a jar. |
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- Posted by petpalikali WI-Z4 (My Page) on Thu, Sep 20, 12 at 13:44
| Here's this lazy gardener's method. Spread the scooped out jelly stuff and seeds on a paper coffee filter. Let it dry. Fold it up and stuff it into a zipper bag and Ta Da! Just don't forget to write on the paper the name of the seed. I just spread the filter out on some potting soil and cover with a little soil on top late winter. Result - a new season of my old favorites! |
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| Thanks for the tips. I especially like the lazy gardener's method. :) |
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| I wouldn't go for the lazy method myself. The reason you ferment/bleach the seeds is because they do carry a very real chance of having infections on the coats that survive dry conditions quite well and will kill the seedlings when they sprout. Fermenting/bleaching sterilizes the coat so that you know you'll get healthy plants next year. |
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| Agree. Some sort of disinfecting is really recommended to prevent seed and soil contamination. Fermentation does that quite well and also increases your germination rate for the seeds. Dave |
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| I find the fermentation method exceedingly easy and trouble free. Jim |
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