Saving your own tomato seeds is a great way to save money in the garden plus it is super fun to do! If you want the best tomatoes ever you should learn how to save tomato seeds, so keep reading!
Why you should save your own seeds
While seed saving can save you money that is not the best reason to save your own seeds. I have found that the tomato seeds that I personally saved always germinate better than the ones that I buy.
This is great because I rarely have to replant tomatoes when I start them in the spring. Plus your seeds can acclimate to your climate.
Saving money and getting higher quality seeds are both reasons you should start saving your own seeds.
Can I save seeds from my plants
Before you start saving seeds from your plants your need to make sure they are the correct type of plant. Some plants are good for seed saving while others are not.
Make sure that your plants are either open pollinated or heirloom varieties. If your seed packet or plant tag shows F1 or hybrid then you cannot save tomato seeds from these plants.
Hybrid plants will not produce true-to-type plants and you will be left with weird looking (and tasting) tomatoes! Make sure you know what type of plants you are growing!
Will my tomatoes cross pollinate
While tomatoes are less likely to cross pollinate they can on occasion cross. To prevent this from happening it is recommended that you plant your tomatoes 10 feet apart.
I don't like growing my tomatoes that far apart so I grow them right next to each other. So far I have not had any tomatoes cross pollinate with other varieties.
Tomato plants have complete flowers which means they have both male and female parts. This does make them less likely to cross pollinate, but there is always a chance that they will cross.
If you want a full run down on isolation distances for seed saving you should check this article out.
How to harvest tomato seeds
Once you have some ripe tomatoes it is time to extract the seeds from them. Before you harvest the seeds, make sure that your tomatoes are very ripe (a little squishy is better than too hard).
How to ferment tomato seeds
This may shock you, but tomato seeds need to be fermented before you can dry the seeds. This process will remove the gel like coating around the seeds helping them to germinate faster.
Step 1: Cut your tomato in half cross ways so you can see all of the seeds.
Step 2: Squish the seeds out of the tomato halves into a glass jar. Our next step is fermentation. (Don't worry it is very simple.)
Step 3: Add a tablespoon or two of water into the jar with your tomato seeds and swirl it around.
Step 4: Seal the jar with plastic wrap and label them. Make sure to write the variety names on the jars so you don't get them mixed up.
Step 5: Set your jars on top of your fridge to ferment for 3-5 days.
Step 6: Every morning and every evening make sure to swirl the mixture. After three days you can strain and rinse this mixture.
This gel coating on the seeds is called locular gel and prevents the seeds from germinating while still in the tomato. In nature this gel is removed when the tomato falls from the plant and ferments/rots.
Recreating this fermentation process in your kitchen will remove this sprout preventing substance from your seeds.
How to dry tomato seeds
Spread your fermented and rinsed tomato seeds on a screen to dry. I have an old window screen that I use for this purpose.
When you put the seeds on the screen try to separate them so that they will not form clumps when they dry.
I also point a fan on these seeds to speed up the drying process. Let these seeds dry for at least two weeks before storing them.
How to store tomato seeds
Tomatoes seeds will store best in a cool, dry, and dark place. It is best to put them in a paper envelope or a glass jar. You can read the best way to store tomato seeds here.
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