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New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.

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Old August 23, 2016   #1
AlittleSalt
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Default Seed Saving Jars

I know there are many posts and threads about seed saving jars, but I didn't find any. So here's another thread:

Last year, I used pint sized Kerr jars because we had them waiting to be used. The problem was that it took a lot of tomatoes to get enough juice. By the time I had enough juice, there were enough cherry tomato seeds to share with 50 or more people

So I started using donor tomatoes for juice, and that works if you're growing a lot of tomatoes.

Then I found the right size jars. I now use olive jars. The kind that has the pimento stuffed in them. They are tall and narrow and they work.

Smaller Picante sauce jars work too, and so do the Wyler's bouillon cube jars. I would imagine half-pint canning jars would work as well, but I don't have any of them to try it out.
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Old August 23, 2016   #2
luigiwu
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caper jars are very small, narrow and tall. even more than pimento stuffed olives.
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Old September 16, 2016   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luigiwu View Post
caper jars are very small, narrow and tall. even more than pimento stuffed olives.
Unless you buy your capers at Costco, haha.
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Old August 23, 2016   #4
nancyruhl
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The jars don't have to even be that big. I pick these specimen cups for free at work. I'm
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Old August 23, 2016   #5
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I use prescription pill bottles, Amber colored that keeps out light
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Old August 23, 2016   #6
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We go through a lot of prepared hot mustard. Keen's or Colman's prepared hot mustard jars are ideal for small amounts of seed. I store a lot of bean seed samples of these in the freezer.

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Old August 23, 2016   #7
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I use my half pint canning jars for most. If I'm saving seeds from small tomatoes and I don't want to save a lot, shot glasses work beautifully.
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Old September 16, 2016   #8
gothicgardens
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Hope you are getting new specimen jars at work and not used ones.
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Old September 16, 2016   #9
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I use the tall skinny shot glasses when doing smaller batches Robert. I drape cheesecloth over it and secure with a rubber band. Works like a charm.
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Old September 16, 2016   #10
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Been doing this for a bunch of years. I use half pints, pints, and quarts. All of the ones you see have the lids on tight enough to keep the odor out of the room. The mat forms and the get sacs dissolve just as quickly as with the lids off. For small amounts, I add juice from donor tomatoes or I reuse stinky liquid from previous fermentations - but not too "Previous".
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Old September 17, 2016   #11
KarenO
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I use 16 oz disposable waxed paper coffee to-go cups with lids from Costco. place a piece of scotch tape over the sipping hole and I write directly on the cups with a sharpie. Wasteful? maybe but they are recyclable and it is very convenient.
Also, I don't concern myself with having enough actual tomato juices to ferment in. I squeeze/scrape out the seeds, dilute with a small amount of water and ferment.

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Old September 18, 2016   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KarenO View Post
Also, I don't concern myself with having enough actual tomato juices to ferment in. I squeeze/scrape out the seeds, dilute with a small amount of water and ferment.

KarenO
Same here. Also, I only let mine dry for about 2 days, then I put them away in marked 2" X 3" zip lock baggies, or mail them off to whomever requested in those baggies. I don't dry for days and days. So far so good, no moldy seeds, at least no one has told me of getting moldy seeds. When I dry them its on a Chinette plate( no plastic coating) covered by a coffee filter. I reuse the Chinettes, but always a fresh coffee filter.
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Old September 17, 2016   #13
ilex
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I use zip bags.
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Old September 17, 2016   #14
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Quote:
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I use zip bags.

Yes you do, and remembering in that other very long thread about seed saving where I posted what I do,I asked you how long you left the crud in the zip bags and you said something like...a very long time since I am slow.

My concerns,as you might remember,was about oxygen and fermentation and whether you were under or over fermenting.

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Old September 18, 2016   #15
ginger2778
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carolyn137 View Post
Yes you do, and remembering in that other very long thread about seed saving where I posted what I do,I asked you how long you left the crud in the zip bags and you said something like...a very long time since I am slow.

My concerns,as you might remember,was about oxygen and fermentation and whether you were under or over fermenting.

Carolyn
I recently received some Rosado De Ayerbe seeds from a third party that were given to this person as a bonus from Ilex, and unfortunately all 5 seeds did not germinate. So the other 5 were put into a gemination test, damp paper towel over, then ziplock, and unfortunately after 8 days, no germination there either. Maybe they were overfermented?
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