How To

[robin303]

I know this is real early to ask but I never saved seeds before. What is the art of saving tomato seeds. Thanks

[Worth1]

It's simple you get seeds from a tomato and you save them some place safe.

No really I save seeds by rubbing them in a strainer and letting them dry.

Others ferment the seeds in a container for a few days to kill any pathogens and it also breaks down the jell coating around the seeds.

I will use the oxy clean(SP?) method this year as it is so time consuming removing all of the jell with a strainer under running water and your fingers with seeds on a cloth.

I think there are instructions some place here I just don't know where.

Someone else can help better than me but I do get GREAT results the way I do it.

Worth

[mdvpc]

I used Tom Wagner's method for saving seed from my greenhouse tomatoes this winter. Here it is:

I don't ferment seed in preparation for seed saving. If you want to view fermentation as an organic way of killing organisms and removing the gel around the seeds . . . . so be it. I have learned through years of seed extraction that Trisodium Phosphate and chlorine works better, faster, is less smelly, and can be done effectively in small and large batches of tomato seed. I use the same process in true potato seed extraction.
TSP is an all-purpose heavy duty cleaner that is often used on decks, siding, and drywalls in preparation to painting. The brand I buy is available in most hardware stores and the brand I buy is Savogran. For less than $3.00 you can get a pound of it.
TSP is great because it dissolves the gel around the seed and rids the seed of most harmful organisms. With the deep cleaning action of TSP, the seed is ready for the final disinfectant of chlorine. Most of the time when I am doing a single fruit for seed extraction, I squish the seed into a strainer with running water first. I give it a few rubbing sweeps with my fingers to rid the pulp and juice a bit. Then I sprinkle the TSP granules on top of the seed and rub the mix of seed and TSP against the mesh of the strainer until the gel is dissolved. A person ought to use some gloves or something to prevent exposure to one's skin, but I don't always.
The water is turned on again to rinse the "gunk" off of the seed. The seed is then put in a small container of water and any light seed is floated off. When the container of seed has but a small amount of water in it, I pour Clorox into the container until it is about 1/5 chlorine. I let this set for a while, often just for a minute or two at the higher concentrations. The seed will be bleached out just a bit and then the water rinse and floating job is repeated. The seed is then tapped dry over a clean towel or paper towel to rid it of excess water. I then tap the seed over paper or directly into my envelopes for drying. I usually write the info on the envelopes before placing the seed there.
One of the drawbacks of fermenting seed is the premature sprouting that can occur. With TSP and chlorine, I can extract seed from "green" tomatoes or any other ripeness of tomatoes. TSP can be dissolved in water for treatment also. Something like a cup per gallon of water, which is great if you are doing a bucket of seed. If this case, without the abrasion, it takes about one half hour to work. I like the combo of TSP and chlorine because I can get 100% germination with a bit of practice, knowing how to "float" the seed, leaving only the very best seed for saving.
I have, much of the time, given the seed an extra treatment. This is the hot water cure. About 30 minutes or less at 120 F - 123 F. This takes more practice again, but the triple treatment of hot water, TSP, and chlorine works just fine, maybe most of the time better than fermentation alone. You can add all four treatments if you like. I am lazy, so I don't do the fermenting.
The TSP treatment is essential if one wants to kill some or most of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, a virus that can be carried over in the seed. It also helps to store the seed for over 2 years as this deactivates the TMV. It is a long story to explain all the pathogens of tomato seed, but most of you out there will not have to worry as much as I have. I have very good luck with my seed, thank you.
With the dry humidity here in Bakersfield, I can dry my seed naturally in no time at all. I just spread the seed out to a single layer of seed on paper. I use the cheapest printer paper I can find or the cheapest business envelopes in boxes of 500. My fall tomatoes will begin to ripen next month into December, so I will be busy.

[amideutch]

I do the TSP trick as Michael but after I ferment the seeds. Why, I can skip the bleaching process at the end and it only takes about 30 seconds to clean the seeds in TSP after the fermenting process. It's pretty simple.
Scoop seeds from tomato into clean jar. Add a little water and set lid on top of jar, do not tighten as you want it to breath. Eat seed donor tomato and let seeds ferment for a week. I set my jars on top of the kitchen cabinet.
After a week add water to fermented seeds, tighten lid and shake the jar vigorously and let set 5 minutes. Remove scum and drain off liquid with particulate matter as the viable seeds have settled to the bottom. Add water again and repeat process.
Dump seeds from jar into plastic mesh sieve and immerse into a small bowl of water with about 1 tsp TSP mixed in and rub the seeds on the sieve mesh for about 30 seconds to remove any residue left on the seed. Rinse the seed under the faucet and spread the seed on paper plates to dry. I normally wipe the bottom of the sieve with a dry paper towel to remove excess water from the seeds prior to dumping them on the paper plate. Write on plate variety name and stick back on top of kitchen cabinet or wherever and let dry.
You can use the same bowl of TSP solution to clean several batches of seed.
Your going to find out that there are several methods to saving seed and some people even clean their seeds with Ajax or Comet scouring powder which probably does work but I would discourage its use as it's better suited to cleaning toilets and sinks. Ami

[DonnaK-NC]

This thread has info. I've only done it a couple of times and I did it like Carolyn suggested. I like to keep things simple and it works.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...+ferment+seeds

[annecros]

I use the fermentation method, with a Mason type jar. I cut a large square of cheesecloth, fold it until I have about four layers or so, and secure it to the top of the jar with the ring from the Mason jar.

I think I stole the idea from someone else, but can't remember who!

It lets the air and bacteria and yeast in, and keeps the insects out. I ferment on the front porch, so it's not s stinky. I've reused them several times, and it may be my imagination, but the used ones seem to speed the fermentation.

[dice]

The process in pictures, from Victory Seeds (this is sort of
the "all natural" way; no TSP, no Oxiclean, no bleach, no
strainer, etc):

http://www.victoryseeds.com/informat...ve_tomato.html

(It does work. I usually follow up with TSP if there are a lot
of seeds stuck to the gel yet when I decide that they have
sat long enough, and this year I used a dilute bleach dip,
too, once the gel was all cleaned off.)