Saving eggplant seeds - Page 2

Zeedman · February 7, 2012

An old thread, but I see Dean's question was never answered.

I've allowed one fruit per plant to ripen, and production of new fruits continued until frost. If there was any reduction in yield, it was not much. This was for the small, slim varieties like "Diamond" and "Casper". Not sure if the results would be the same for the larger varieties.

I too use the blender method for eggplant. Found one cheap in a second-hand store, and dulled the blades to use it for seed processing. The eggplant should be as ripe as possible; after picking, I let them sit on a shelf until they began to soften. I just use the blender pitcher itself to float off the debris. Like processing other wet seeds, the bad seeds float off the top with the debris, while the good seeds sink to the bottom.

Oh, and I've tried using the blender with cucumber seeds; there was too much damage. The wider seeds are unable to escape the blades, and end up bruised or broken. The blender worked well for the much smaller seeds of West India Gherkins & Mexican Sour Gherkins, though.

Zeedman · April 29, 2012

Just a quick note about eggplant seed longevity. I am testing much of my older seed this year, gathering information on variety-specific storage life. I tested "Casper" and "Diamond" this year:

Casper - 2005 seed, 15/36, erratic germination
Diamond - 2005 seed, 35/36 - virtually 100%!!!

This was for seed processed by the above methods, and stored in ziplock freezer bags (with excess air squeezed out) placed in dark envelopes in an air-conditioned room. The seed was planted in plastic cells filled with soil-less starter mix, then placed in a lighted, temperature-controlled germination enclosure set to 75 degrees F.

Casper seems to have erratic germination by nature (even my original seed performed that way) but shows significant deterioration; I hope to renew it this year. After several years of testing, I have yet to find the limitations of Diamond's storage life.

Plant vigor, fruit ripeness, processing technique & storage conditions will all affect storage life, so as they say, "your results may vary". However, the vastly different results from just two varieties show that there may not be a "one size fits all" answer to the storage life for eggplant seed.

Tracydr · May 8, 2012

I threw some yellowish eggplants on the ground ( at least, I guess I did) last fall, and now I have a bunch of volunteers.
I'm beginning to think that eggplants are just about one of the easiest crops for me to grow in AZ. That and okra.

Greatgardens · January 7, 2019

Just found this section -- I obviously had not looked too hard before! Craig's info on saving seeds is very helpful. I do find that I have better success with most hybrids. Best eggplant I've ever found is Burpee's Early Midnight. Early and productive, if not visually stunning as are some of the lavender and striped ones. Neon was great, but I always had germination issues with it.

And one "trick" -- eggplants love EarthBoxes. And having the boxes up off the ground (on a wooden stand) seems to also help limit the flea beetles. Later in the season when the light is starting to wane, they all seem to go downhill, but by then we're pretty tired of eggplant, anyway. Try it sliced and grilled, brushed with a little olive oil and garlic salt. I have a new air fryer, so I'll be interested to see how they are breaded and "fried" in it.

Greatgardens · October 29, 2020

Well, another year of failure trying to save seeds. I grew two plants that came from Neon seeds saved by another member here, so my plants were from F2 seeds. They were a bit different -- one fruit looked like original Neon and the other was a beautiful deep shade of purple (not "black"). Both had thin skins and white flesh, but the darker one was a smaller plant and had more of the classic "teardrop" shape. Both were very tasty, but I was really interested in the darker one.

I watched the YouTube videos, let the fruits get seriously over-ripe, and then processed the seeds by hand -- at least a hundred of each. I would say that the seeds were a little smaller than I'm used to, but were nice and plump. I ran a "paper towel" germination test -- zero germination from either batch after 14 days with bottom heat. Bummer! I'll try again before regular planting time, but I'm not optimistic for success.

Any thoughts? I don't understand why the F1 plant saved seeds were viable and then the F2 seeds failed to be viable if it is a genetic issue. OTOH, I don't know of anything that I did that would have caused the failure.

PhilaGardener · November 1, 2020

GG, save those seeds and try the germination test again in the spring - some varieties seem to have a germination inhibitor that prevents them from growing too soon. (This is true for TPS, where germination rates go up after a few years.)

Please let us know how that turns out!

April 29, 2012	#2
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	eggplant seed longevity Just a quick note about eggplant seed longevity. I am testing much of my older seed this year, gathering information on variety-specific storage life. I tested "Casper" and "Diamond" this year: Casper - 2005 seed, 15/36, erratic germination Diamond - 2005 seed, 35/36 - virtually 100%!!! This was for seed processed by the above methods, and stored in ziplock freezer bags (with excess air squeezed out) placed in dark envelopes in an air-conditioned room. The seed was planted in plastic cells filled with soil-less starter mix, then placed in a lighted, temperature-controlled germination enclosure set to 75 degrees F. Casper seems to have erratic germination by nature (even my original seed performed that way) but shows significant deterioration; I hope to renew it this year. After several years of testing, I have yet to find the limitations of Diamond's storage life. Plant vigor, fruit ripeness, processing technique & storage conditions will all affect storage life, so as they say, "your results may vary". However, the vastly different results from just two varieties show that there may not be a "one size fits all" answer to the storage life for eggplant seed.

February 7, 2012	#1
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	An old thread, but I see Dean's question was never answered. I've allowed one fruit per plant to ripen, and production of new fruits continued until frost. If there was any reduction in yield, it was not much. This was for the small, slim varieties like "Diamond" and "Casper". Not sure if the results would be the same for the larger varieties. I too use the blender method for eggplant. Found one cheap in a second-hand store, and dulled the blades to use it for seed processing. The eggplant should be as ripe as possible; after picking, I let them sit on a shelf until they began to soften. I just use the blender pitcher itself to float off the debris. Like processing other wet seeds, the bad seeds float off the top with the debris, while the good seeds sink to the bottom. Oh, and I've tried using the blender with cucumber seeds; there was too much damage. The wider seeds are unable to escape the blades, and end up bruised or broken. The blender worked well for the much smaller seeds of West India Gherkins & Mexican Sour Gherkins, though.

May 8, 2012	#3
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I threw some yellowish eggplants on the ground ( at least, I guess I did) last fall, and now I have a bunch of volunteers. I'm beginning to think that eggplants are just about one of the easiest crops for me to grow in AZ. That and okra.

January 7, 2019	#4
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	Just found this section -- I obviously had not looked too hard before! Craig's info on saving seeds is very helpful. I do find that I have better success with most hybrids. Best eggplant I've ever found is Burpee's Early Midnight. Early and productive, if not visually stunning as are some of the lavender and striped ones. Neon was great, but I always had germination issues with it. And one "trick" -- eggplants love EarthBoxes. And having the boxes up off the ground (on a wooden stand) seems to also help limit the flea beetles. Later in the season when the light is starting to wane, they all seem to go downhill, but by then we're pretty tired of eggplant, anyway. Try it sliced and grilled, brushed with a little olive oil and garlic salt. I have a new air fryer, so I'll be interested to see how they are breaded and "fried" in it.

October 29, 2020	#5
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	Well, another year of failure trying to save seeds. I grew two plants that came from Neon seeds saved by another member here, so my plants were from F2 seeds. They were a bit different -- one fruit looked like original Neon and the other was a beautiful deep shade of purple (not "black"). Both had thin skins and white flesh, but the darker one was a smaller plant and had more of the classic "teardrop" shape. Both were very tasty, but I was really interested in the darker one. I watched the YouTube videos, let the fruits get seriously over-ripe, and then processed the seeds by hand -- at least a hundred of each. I would say that the seeds were a little smaller than I'm used to, but were nice and plump. I ran a "paper towel" germination test -- zero germination from either batch after 14 days with bottom heat. Bummer! I'll try again before regular planting time, but I'm not optimistic for success. Any thoughts? I don't understand why the F1 plant saved seeds were viable and then the F2 seeds failed to be viable if it is a genetic issue. OTOH, I don't know of anything that I did that would have caused the failure.

November 1, 2020	#6
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	GG, save those seeds and try the germination test again in the spring - some varieties seem to have a germination inhibitor that prevents them from growing too soon. (This is true for TPS, where germination rates go up after a few years.) Please let us know how that turns out!