On Saving Your Own Tomato Seed

[macmex]

Okay, this is a good time of the year to post this. But the technique of saving tomato seed is truly one of those skills which most gardeners will find useful, throughout the summer. Why purchase the same seed every year, or worse yet, why purchase only plants, spending much more money and being so much more limited in the selection of varieties? If one masters both how to save tomato seed and how to start from seed, then literally, the selection of varieties available to them has probably increased a thousand times over!



There are a number of reasons why one might want to save tomato seed:
   1. There are many tomato varieties which are very difficult to impossible to purchase commercially.
   2. Perhaps you have received a variety from a friend or relative, which has sentimental value.
   3. If you should find a variety you really like, it’s probable that you’ll want to save seed. Since so much of the seed industry is driven by        
       commercial interest, varieties are frequently dropped. This is not because they are inferior, but rather, because new varieties generate
       revenue.
   4. If you garden for long, it is not improbable, that someday, you will have an unusual cross turn up in your garden, which you might want to            preserve and select.
   5. In today’s economy, who wants to shell out the money when it is so easy, to save enough seed for yourself, for friends, neighbors, etc. in    
       only minutes!?

[macmex]

So what are the requirements for saving tomato seed? Well.... one tomato seed would do!!

For example:
If you had an excellent tomato in a salad, in a ritzy restaurant, and thought of it when you were about to take your last bite, you could save that last seed, wrapping it in your napkin! Let it dry and plant it six to eight weeks before your last frost date.

But what I would like to discuss is how to save a good amount of seed, so as, not only to have plenty for future plantings, but even to share with others.

Okay! So how can I save seed, in quantity and so that it is most likely to grow true to type?
1) Grow a non hybrid variety of tomato.1
2) Give your tomato varieties some isolation distance from other tomato varieties.

Some suggested isolation distances:
standard varieties - 15 feet
beefsteak varieties – 20 feet
cherry tomatoes – 50 feet
currant tomatoes – lots and lots of distance (But that’s just an estimate! Currant tomatoes can cross pollinate over quite the distance. Without              hard data on hand, I’d recommend an isolation distance of at least 100 feet. Probably 300 feet would be better.)


This is Black Cherry, one of my all time favorites. 

[macmex]

Extracting Seed

One can simply cut open a ripe tomato and scrape out some seed with a knife or spoon. Just dry the seed on some waxed paper. This is definitely the way to go with small quantities of seed. Simply lay the seed out until you are sure that it’s thoroughly dry. Scrape it off the paper and store it in an envelope or bottle.

For larger quantities of seed:
1. Collect a couple of ripe tomatoes from one variety.

2. Cut the tomatoes in half, crosswise. (If the tomato were a globe and the stem end was the North Pole, you’d cut the tomato around its  
    equator.)

3. Using the handle end of a spoon, scoop out the pulp, from the hollows¹ in the fruit. As it comes out, let it drop into a bowl or glass.

4. When you have at least 1 ½ inches of pulp and seed in the glass set it aside someplace at room temperature.




This is a glass of freshly harvested seed and pulp. Now it just needs to set at room temperature for a couple of days.

5. After a couple of days this mixture will have a solid cap of mold. When enough fermentation has occurred this cap will be solid 5. enough to
lift it off with a fork. Do so. Lift it off and throw it away.

6. Dump the rest of the fermented mixture into a strainer and run it under a stream of water. You can move it around with your finger as most       debris falls through the strainer. If any chunks of tomato are left among the seeds pick them out and throw them away. What is left should
    be nearly pure seeds!


This is what the mix should look like when it's time to strain out the debris.

7. Dump this seed onto a piece of paper and dry it thoroughly before packaging.


8. These seeds will be covered in tiny hairs. If desired this seed can be tied into the toe of a nylon stocking and tossed around for about 20 minutes in a drier on very low or no heat. The seeds should come out without any hairs on them.

9. If you process more than one variety of tomato seed at a time, consider dipping the strainer in boiling water before processing the next variety. Otherwise a seed or two might stow away in the strainer and land in the next batch of seed, thus affecting its purity.

This seed, if stored at room temperature and low humidity should be usable for about four to five years. If sealed in an airtight jar and frozen it will likely be viable for over 20 years. If you freeze seed remember to defrost it thoroughly, being sure that it is at room temperature before removing it from the jar. This is to avoid condensation on the seed, which can harm it. Seed processed this way tends to germinate very well.

¹ These cavities are technically known as locules. Different types and varieties of tomatoes have different numbers of locules, and of different shapes. A beefsteak tomato has very many, irregularly shaped locules. Some cherry tomatoes consist of nothing more than some skin wrapped around two locules!




And here is a jar of tomato seed, all processed and ready to go. Store seed away from sunlight. A dark cool place is best. Room temperature will do for seed to be viable about 5 years.

[macmex]

This same jar of seed, if stored in a freezer, will be viable for DECADES. Just be sure to warm it thoroughly before opening it to get out some seed.

[heavyhitterokra]

IT'S GETTING VERY CLOSE TO TOMATO SEED STARTING TIME AGAIN!

I just had to add this cartoon because it's so very true.



This is my inspiration for starting my own tomato seeds this time of year.  This photo was taken July 31st.  It was the first tomato of the year that covered an entire slice of bread.  The variety was German Queen.

My son just made this skillet toasted BLT even better by grating frozen goat feta over the top of the tomato and drizzling the lettuce with a few drops of homemade Italian dressing with cracked black pepper and olive oil.  You can't buy things like this from the grocery store.  This sandwich was a true, once per year, gourmet experience!