Tomato/Pepper Question

[user10]

Hi there,

Question:
If a tomato or pepper would be frozen (after harvesting) in a freezer for a few months, can you use the seeds once thawed out without drying them ever?
If not, would anybody know the reason why it wouldn't work out?

Thanks
user10

[newatthiskat]

You could do a germination test and find out!
Kat

[user10]

Well Kat, I do not freeze my fruits and vegetables after harvesting,.... others do. I eat them when ripened. I talked to two friends yesterday that asked me the question and I presumed this was the right web to ask. Sorry.

[svalli]

I have had volunteer tomatoes and peppers grow in my garden in area with freezing winter temperatures. So those seeds may also germinate. Like Kat said, it is worth trying.

Sari

[travis]

It would depend on how much moisture was retained in the seeds at the time of freezing. If too much moisture were present, the act of freezing may have expanded the endosperm to the point of rupturing the seed coat, severely damaged the seed cells, or otherwise bursted the vital parts of the seed.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by travis

It would depend on how much moisture was retained in the seeds at the time of freezing. If too much moisture were present, the act of freezing may have expanded the endosperm to the point of rupturing the seed coat, severely damaged the seed cells, or otherwise bursted the vital parts of the seed.

Agree with Travis.

many times folks will just throw whole tomato fruits in the freezer at the end of the season, planning to do something with them later, then decide they want to save the seeds and most of the time nada.

when fruits drop to the ground in the Fall they usually are dry looking and yellow, meaning that the seeds are somewhat dehydrated before the winter freeze, and those that make it through we then see as volunteers in the Spring.

But the percentage of seeds that make it through the freezing and thawing are but a small portion of the total seeds in the fruits.

[user10]

Well I talked to my friends and told them the situations.
They wrote the information down (possibility outcomes). They might try it out they said but who knows...

Myself, I'm not that familiar in endosperm. I will read up on this.

Thank you for the replies