You can save the best tomato seeds/seeds and plant them the following season. If you choose seeds, you will need to pick them from the tastiest and healthiest tomato plants, and you can propagate your own tomato plants over and over again over the years.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Selecting Seeds
Step 1. Choose seeds from tomato plants that have been naturally pollinated or open-pollinated. Plants of these open-pollinated varieties are grown from true seeds, whereas hybrid tomato plants are produced by seed companies. Hybrid seeds are a cross between two parent plants and the resulting seeds are not true offspring.
If your garden doesn't have open-pollinated varieties of tomatoes in your garden, you can buy some heirloom tomatoes -heirloom tomatoes, which are seeds from high-yielding varieties that have been passed down through generations for decades-from the grocery store or at the traditional market. which sells agricultural products directly by local farmers (farmer's market). All heirloom tomatoes are tomatoes of the open pollinated variety
Method 2 of 3: Fermenting the Seeds
Step 1. Collect the seeds from the tomatoes
To do this, cut a ripe heirloom tomato into two halves.
Step 2. Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes
You will get the seeds of the tomato as well as the gel that surrounds it.
Step 3. Place the mixture in a clean cup, bowl, or other container
You don't need to separate the seeds from the gel that surrounds them, as the two will naturally separate during the fermentation process.
Step 4. Label the container with the name of the tomato seeds you are going to store
This step is especially important if you will be storing several different types of seeds.
Step 5. Add enough water to the container to cover the tomato seeds
It doesn't matter how much water you use as long as the tomato seeds are covered; the mixture may even become thick.
Step 6. Cover the container with the tomato seeds with a paper towel, cheesecloth, or plastic wrap
Air transpiration will encourage the fermentation of tomato seeds.
If you're using plastic wrap as a lid, be sure to poke a few holes by piercing it
Step 7. Place the covered container of tomato seeds in a warm location away from direct sunlight
If possible, choose an indoor location instead of an outdoor location, so that nothing can interfere with the fermentation process.
Step 8. As soon as a day has passed, open the lid of the container, and stir the tomato seed mixture in it
Next, close the container again.
Step 9. Leave the container with the tomato seeds in place
You will need about four days or until a thin film forms on the surface of the water and most of the tomato seeds have sunk to the bottom of the container. Tomato seeds that are still floating on the surface of the water cannot be used.
Method 3 of 3: Collecting Tomato Seeds
Step 1. Use a spoon to remove the moldy film on the surface of the water as well as any remaining tomato seeds
Throw them away, as you won't be able to use them to grow tomato plants.
Step 2. Clean the container you are going to use and fill it with clean water
The water must have room temperature (±20-25°C).
Step 3. Wash the tomato seeds by gently stirring/shaking them in clean water
Use a spoon or other stirrer that is long enough to reach the bottom of the container.
Step 4. Discard the rinse water carefully
Place a cover over the mouth of the container as you pour the rinse water, so you don't lose a single seed.
Step 5. Put the tomato seeds in a colander
Then rinse under running water, but make sure the sieve holes are not too big for the tomato seeds to slip out.
Step 6. Spread all the seeds in a single layer on a paper plate
Avoid using plates made of other materials, as the seeds tend to stick together when placed on a non-paper surface.
Step 7. Allow the tomato seeds to dry in direct sunlight
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Shake or stir the seeds periodically so that all surfaces of each seed are exposed to the air. Tomato seeds are said to be completely dry if they slide easily off the plate and don't stick to each other.
Save Tomato Seeds for Next Year Step 17Bullet1
Step 8. Put the seeds in a jar with a tight-fitting lid
Label the jar with the name of the seed variety and the date of storage.
Step 9. Store in a dark and cool place, for example at the back of the refrigerator
Tips
- You can store good tomato seeds in an envelope, but it's best to store the envelope later in a sealed container.
- Do not use plastic or ceramic plates to dry the seeds that have been cleaned, as the water needs to be absorbed out of the tomato seeds.
- Proper drying and storage of seeds will keep the seeds alive for years.
- If you're not sure if a tomato variety is a hybrid, you can look it up in gardening catalogs online. You cannot save hybrid seeds, so if the word “hybrid” is found in the tomato description, don't try to save the seeds.
- Ripe fruit contains ripe seeds too, so be sure to always choose tomatoes that are perfectly ripe.
- Make homemade tomato seeds as a gift. You can buy empty seed packets at your local nursery or buy them from a seed company's catalog.
Warning
- If you store tomato seeds in the refrigerator or freezer, allow the container to come to room temperature (±20-25°C) before opening it; otherwise you will put the condensation in the container.
- Basically, fermenting tomato seeds isn't absolute, but if you don't, you'll have a greater chance of getting disease-ridden tomato seeds.
- Be careful if you store tomato seeds in plastic wrap. If any moisture remains on some of the seeds, however small they may be, it will transfer to all of the tomato seeds; this will encourage mold and rot to develop, making the seeds unusable.
Things You'll Need
- Small jar or bowl
- Paper towels, cheesecloth, or plastic wrap
- Sieve/sieve
- Paper plate
- Labels and ballpoint pens
- Envelope (optional)
- Glass storage container with lid
