Save YourHeirloom TomatoSeeds for the 2015Seed Saturday Exchange
By Rhonda Grein
Selecting Fruit
Selecting a good tomato to save seeds from is an important step in the seed saving process. Pick an heirloom or open-pollinated variety that you reallylike. When you save the seeds from an open-pollinated, rather than hybrid, the tomato should be true to the parent. The seed is probably open pollinated if you (or a friend) grew the tomato from previously save seeds, or if the label on the variety you purchased says heirloom (and not ‘hybrid’).
Save your seeds from the best-looking, best-tasting fruits on the plant. The fruit should be fully ripe (on the vine). The goal here is to encourage the most desirable qualities. Pick a fruit that is unblemished and from a disease-free plant, with no cracking. If you would like to encourage a particular trait, such as early to ripen, thenyou should pick the fruit that isearly to ripen. Save the fruit from more than one plant, if possible, to diversify your seed’s gene pool
Collecting the seeds
The next step is to take your tomato and cut it in half horizontally (across the equator). Scoop or squeeze out all the gel and seeds into a small container. Rinse the seeds to remove the larger tomato bits.
The gel that is attached to each seed is a germination inhibitor that prevents the seed from sprouting while still inside the fruit. In nature, this gel breaks down with rain and weather, allowing the seed to sprout the next year. When saving seed, this is done with a process called fermentation.
Fermenting Process
Add less than an inch of water to cover the tomato seeds that you squeezed into the container. Label the container so you will remember which seed you have saved. Leave the container open (or cover in a cheesecloth) and leave undisturbed and out of direct sunlight for a few days.
You willsee some seeds and mould accumulate on the surface of the water. You can scoop off the infertile seeds and mould and discard them. Check the seeds at the bottom and if they are free of the seed coating, you can give them a final rinse. If the seeds are not free of the coating yet, you will need to wait a few more days. This can take from 2 days to a week depending on how humid the climate is.
Drying
Once your seeds are rinsed they will need to dry undisturbed for at least a week. Place them waxed paper, foil, paper plates, a fine mesh screen, or any material where the seeds won’t sick (e.g. do not use a paper towel). Every few days move them around a bit to avoid the seeds sticking to the material. Let the seeds dry—the drier the better. If you package your seeds wet, they will mouldand will not germinate.
Storing
Once your seeds are completely dry, you can put them into an envelope or other container to store. Paper (or glass) envelopes are best to avoid anybuildup of moisture. Write the name of your tomato variety (and or a good description of the colour, shape size etc) and when they were harvested (month and year) on the envelope.
Although tomato seeds may stay viable up to five years without the aid of cool or cold storage, it is best to store them in a cool, dry place (such as a refrigerator). When stored this way, tomato seeds will germinate reliably for up to ten years, or more.
There are alternate ways to save tomato seeds. If you have an alternate suggestion that you would like to share, you can go to the blog, and add a comment to this article. (add link)