Saving seeds from most types of garden fruits is fairly straightforward: Make sure the fruits are fully ripe, then separate seeds from other tissues, rinse off the seeds if needed, and dry them out on a paper plate or such for several days, then package and store in a cool, dry place. An excellent resource with discussions about the hows and whys of saving seeds, please visit:
robinsonloveplants.com/saving-seeds/#tab-con-6
Tomato seeds are more involved, but not so difficult once you get the system down.
Here is a good overview published by a colleague, Tessa Zundel:
http://www.homesteadlady.com/how-to-save-tomato-seeds/
More detailed instructions follow.
Saving seeds from most types of garden fruits is fairly straightforward: Make sure the fruits are fully ripe, then separate seeds from other tissues, rinse off the seeds if needed, and dry them out on a paper plate or such for several days, then package and store in a cool, dry place. An excellent resource with discussions about the hows and whys of saving seeds, please visit:
robinsonloveplants.com/saving-seeds/#tab-con-6
Tomato seeds are more involved, but not so difficult once you get the system down.
Here is a good overview published by a colleague, Tessa Zundel:
http://www.homesteadlady.com/how-to-save-tomato-seeds/
More detailed instructions follow.
SAVE SEEDS, NOT GOLD!
by Dale Thurber, of Delectation of Tomatoes, etc.
www.delectationoftomatoes.com
Why save tomato seeds? Some people may think you’re a bit crazy for saving seeds, since seeds are so cheap and easy to buy. But there are plenty of good reasons for saving your own seeds – reasons you probably already know or you wouldn’t be asking how.
Let’s divide the process into three phases.
Phase 1: Seed Selection
What are your goals?
Preserving a good variety – start with a reliable source, isolate blossoms, select characteristic fruits
Developing a variety over time – based on appearance, flavor, disease tolerance, etc.: select the best.
Size – the biggest by weight. Some of the big ones are quite unusually shaped, as they result from fused blossoms!
Hybrids? – sometimes seeds ARE worth saving, and you can create your own open-pollinated version
Phase 2: – Seed extraction and fermentation
Materials
Tomatoes – fully ripe or even rotting
Knife – very sharp & serrated works best
Plastic container with lid – 16-32 oz. sizes work well for most purposes
Large clean bowl – for holding tomato parts for human consumption
Bucket with clean water – for cleaning tomatoes, tools and surfaces
Wash cloth and towel – for wiping down and drying surfaces
Envelope, pen and masking tape – for tracking and storing seeds
Box – for storing and moving containers of fermenting seeds
Procedure
Is the bulk of the tomato worth saving for fresh eating or cooking?
If so:
- Rinse off the tomato as if preparing to serve
- Slice the tomato in half along the “equator”, perpendicular to stem-blossom end
- Dig out seeds and gel from seed locules, letting them run into the small plastic container
- Cut out the stem and any bad spots off the tomato and place them into the container as well.These will serve as inoculants of fungal spores.
- Place the rest of the tomato in the larger clean bowl for later processing
- Add up to 3 tablespoons of water (preferably rainwater or de-chlorinated) to the tomato seed mix in the small container, replace lid, attach label or envelope, place in box.
- Clean off surfaces and prepare for next tomato.** Discard stray seeds **
If not:
- Cut the entire tomato into small cubes, then scrape everything into the small container
- Add water as needed to make a slurry/liquid solution, just enough to cover the contents
- Squish everything with your hand to roughly break up the pieces
- Rinse off hands and proceed as above
Phase 3: Seed separation and drying
At room temperature, seeds need to ferment for 3-5 days, depending upon how ripe/rotten the tomatoes were to start with. If you are scraping up rotted, fermented tomatoes off the ground, they are probably ready now for seed separation.
When you see a significant layer of white or gray fungus on the surface, it’s probably ready for seed separation. The strong smell of fermented tomatoes is also a good indication. If there is no fungus growing, you may need to wait for another day or two. If you’ve got fruit fly larvae or if the seeds are sprouting, you probably waited too long. Seed separation is an OUTDOOR activity unless you live alone.
Materials
Sieves – one standard size and one fine mess, especially if you’re processing small-seeded varieties
Buckets – several 5-gallon buckets are very useful for containing the mess and setting things on
One gallon-size plastic bottle or bucket–for actual seed separation; clear, tough plastic is best; NOT glass
Chair (or bucket or stump) – for sitting on during processing
Garden hose with nozzle – an adjustable nozzle is best; settings will depend upon water pressure etc.
Cloth towel – for partial drying of seeds; paper towels will work if doing small quantities
Plastic plates – paper plates result in seeds sticking; coffee filters also work well
Empty shelves – for drying seeds for several weeks; completely protected from pets or young children
Procedure
- Pour fermenting (and smelly) seeds and fluids into one-gallon bucket/bottle.
- Spray out residue into the small bucket as well. Spray with one hand while squishing with the other, try to get good separation of seeds.Spray off hand, and spray mixture with a strong, agitating spray for a few seconds.
- With bucket at an angle, tap bottom edge times onto a hard surface then allow seeds to settle for another 10 seconds or so. Viable seeds sink, nearly everything else floats or remains suspended.
- Pour off the unwanted material into the 5-gallon bucket.
- Repeat steps 2-3 as many times as needed; usually 2-3 rinsing are enough to result in good, clean seeds.
- Hold or set sieve over 5-gallon bucket, then pour seeds and clear water into sieve, rinsing out the small bucket so all seeds are removed
- Spray seeds with a strong stream of water while they are in the sieve, spreading them out into a single layer
- Pat dry the seeds from bottom side of the sieve with a towel. Don’t touch the seeds directly with your hands or the towel, as the seeds seem to want to stick to everything!
- Empty seeds from the sieve onto the plastic plate using some force; tap or scrape to remove all seeds; keep sieve very close to the plate to prevent seeds from scattering
- Apply label or marked envelope to avoid mixup – it’s a good idea to only process one batch at a time
- Set plate aside for drying; do not stack plates or seeds may mold, sprout, or stick on the plate above
- Dry seeds on plate for at least 1 week – longer is better.Package into envelopes and store for next season and for trading.Storing in a cool (<70° F), dry environment away from sunlight should result in a good 10 years of viable seeds. For very long term storage, professionals use a deep freezer.
Your tomato seeds are now just about worth their weight in gold – but gold can’t provide nutrition!