Has Anyone Ever...

[Deborah]

Has anyone here ever planted fresh tomato slices (with seeds of course) and got tomatoes? It seems like a fun experiment.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Deborah

Has anyone here ever planted fresh tomato slices (with seeds of course) and got tomatoes? It seems like a fun experiment.

No, never fresh slices but yes from seeds taken directly out of a fruit and not processed. Had to do it just a couple of times and the germination, not outside as in direct planting of tomato seeds where I live and garden in zone 5, but perhaps in the zone 9 and 10 areas, especially in CA where they do direct seeding and I'm referring mostly tolarge commercial tomato farms.

So I can't answer your question directly since any fresh seeds from a fruit would do best here being germinated inside first and then seedlings planted outside.

And when I think of all the folks who dump kitchen leftovers, etc. in their compost heaps and then see wee tomato seedlings even a year later, maybe that would work if it happens in the right gardening zone at the right time of year.

Carolyn

[Chapinz8]

Originally Posted by Deborah

Has anyone here ever planted fresh tomato slices (with seeds of course) and got tomatoes? It seems like a fun experiment.

No but I planted some fish one time and all I got was raccoons.

[Tormato]

Not really "planted", but rather tossed aside slices, that's where sidewalk tomatoes come from.

[Worth1]

I haven't done it but where I live if you do it in the fall you will get seedlings all winter long.
One might even survive to grow into a producing plant next summer.

[Deborah]

OK, thanks. I saw a picture somewhere of tomato slices being planted this way and thought I'd ask.

[Gardeneer]

I have also tried unprocessed seeds from fresh tomato.
Out of I can't remember how many I just got one sprout.
BTW : It was a Kumato. I won't try it again if I am serious about germinating.

Gardeneer

[Lorri D]

I think that as it rots, it would be the same as processing using the fermentation method. This is how I get my volunteers in my garden from the last tomatoes that I left to fall onto the ground after a frost etc... I am not sure if this is what you meant, but I have a picture of a tomato that was left on the ground and I got tons of sprouts from it.

[AlittleSalt]

I didn't try it as a slice of tomato, but I have taken seeds out of a tomato and put them in-ground without removing the gel around the seeds. I was just curious as to what might happen. So far, the Sungold f2 plants are nearly 5' tall and have a whole lot of green tomatoes on them.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I didn't try it as a slice of tomato, but I have taken seeds out of a tomato and put them in-ground without removing the gel around the seeds. I was just curious as to what might happen. So far, the Sungold f2 plants are nearly 5' tall and have a whole lot of green tomatoes on them.

Gel sacs directly into my containers provide excellent germination. CDT plants born via gel sacs seem to have more vigor than the parent.

Last year I was out of PR seeds and I let the last one mature/rot on the surface of my container, and I got LorriD's pic with the tight seedlings.

The plants ended being quite healthy. I attributed it to the fact that I chose the best ones out of approx. 30 seedlings, instead of the typical 5 or so when using starter mix.

Someone asked me if I had tried the tomato slice planting method. I haven't, but I don't see any difference between that method and simply allowing fallen tomatoes germinate seedlings (volunteers). If I have a vigorous plant growing and producing well, I will sometimes tear a cull tomato open and bury it about 1/2 inch below the soil surface and keep it moist for a week or two. After germination, I have to thin the group of tiny plants, but I have my fall plants germinated and growing well. I like the method because direct seeded plants develop much better and deeper tap roots than transplanted seedlings.

I've actually had a number of people comment about the tomato slice method. I believe the interest in it originates with the thought that you can pull a slice of tomato from a hamburger joint sandwich or save one slice of a grocery store tomato and grow your own tomatoes. You can, but don't anticipate getting the same tomato variety you planted if the parent tomato was a hybrid.

Ted