Seed saving disaster

[Fritz77]

Well,

my first attempt to save seeds was a total failure. Last week I picked a beautiful large ponderosa tomato in my garden and I tried to save seeds. I had read a few different methods about how to do this. One is explained at the following link

http://caseysheirloomtomatoes.ca/about/seed-saving.html

Another way was this one

http://www.homesteadlady.com/how-to-save-tomato-seeds/

Well I made a hybrid as I put seeds and water in a jar which I closed with its lid (I did it in order to prevent complains from the other members of the family regarding the bad smell which is supposed to come from the fermentation process). The result is depicted in the attached picture: this morning (5 days after) I found mold in the jar which I guess is not the quite the fungal matt the first site wrote about. I guess I can throw the jar away without even opening it right?
So I was wondering how you expert tomato growers do it. What is your technique? I heard some people just squeeze the seeds out of the tomato and let them dry on a napkin or plastic plate. This sounds a lot easier for a newbie like me, but does it work?

Thank you in advance for your replies and suggestions.

[Gardadore]

Your seeds are probably still fine. I cover my jars with a paper towel more to keep bugs out but it helps with the odor which I have never found to be that terrible anyway. Start pouring off the mold and debris carefully. Add fresh water in between pourings until you have only clear water. The good seeds will stay on the bottom, the bad will float to the top. Then pour the clear water and seeds into a fine strainer and rinse. I always towel off the bottom of the strainer to remove excess water and then dump onto a waxed paper plate or a plastic plate. Let the seeds dry for at least 2 weeks but keep breaking up the clump of seeds as they dry to separate them. Then package. It is really very simple but you might want to put a cloth or paper towel over the jar rather than a tight lid or just place the lid on loosely. Good luck.

[Fritz77]

As I'm reading more about how to save seeds (something that I should have done before this clumsy attempt) I've noticed I made at least 2 mistakes:

1) Instead of putting a loose lid on the jar I closed it hermetically
2) I didn't stir hte liquid in the jar. Basically I squezzed the seeds in the jar, I added some water (whituout paying attention to how much that was) and I waited

Well, this are the two main things I noticed. Of course if I read this

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/A...g_Fermentation

I probably didn't do a single thing properly. I must say though that using bleach to save seeds doesn't sound so good to me. But that's another story. I would never dare to criticize the author of a web bible for tomato growers

[Gardadore]

Have you already thrown it out or tried to see it they are viable? I always forget to stir - good point, but I still get viable seeds!

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by Gardadore

Have you already thrown it out or tried to see it they are viable? I always forget to stir - good point, but I still get viable seeds!

I haven't thrown it away yet, but just beacuse this morning I was in a hurry. I just thought that those blueish mold spots meant I had to throw everytning away.
How do I know if the seeds are viable?

[Raiquee]

Fritz- a good ol fashion germination test!

But really, your seeds are probably fine.

[Father'sDaughter]

Hopefully you have found your first attempt really wasn't the disaster you feared! Once you get the right technique, seed saving is really easy to do!

As for the bleach soak, I look at it as an extra safe guard and I do use it. It's just a small amount of bleach diluted with water and the seeds are in it for just a few minutes. I always set a timer because I'm a horrible judge of time and don't want to leave them in there too long!

[ginger2778]

First you can swirl those seeds to see if they fall to the bottom, then loosen the jar lid, do you have a patio or other safe out of doors area to put it? Let it go one more day and I bet a thicker fungal mat will develop. Then start to clean it, add water to the top, and very slowly and carefully pour off the solids, which will float and spill off, while the good seeds fall to the bottom. Do this several times until your water is clear with just seeds. Basically what Gardadore already said, so dry per her instructions.

Once dry, to test germination, get about 5-6 seeds, put on a paper towel, lightly dampen the seeds, fold the towel over it so that it fits in a sandwich baggy, then dampen lightly the whole thing. Insert your little seed package into the baggie, seal it, put where it will be warm, but not in direct sunlight. I put mine on my patio. In 3-5 days you should see the little tail develop, and you will know you have good seeds, which I bet is the case.

That blue mold isn't a worry, it was the dominant fungus that was present before you closed the lid, swirling will help it and lifting the lid will allow other fungus to get in, which is what you want. I woldnt go more than 1 more day though, even if you dont see a good fungal mat, just process per above. We are concerned for the seeds sprouting in the solution more than spoiled seeds.

For the future, put in seeds and juice, and just add enough water to keep it flowable.
Photo is of a germination test.

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by Fritz77

As I'm reading more about how to save seeds (something that I should have done before this clumsy attempt) I've noticed I made at least 2 mistakes:

1) Instead of putting a loose lid on the jar I closed it hermetically
2) I didn't stir hte liquid in the jar. Basically I squezzed the seeds in the jar, I added some water (whituout paying attention to how much that was) and I waited

Well, this are the two main things I noticed. Of course if I read this

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/A...g_Fermentation

I probably didn't do a single thing properly. I must say though that using bleach to save seeds doesn't sound so good to me. But that's another story. I would never dare to criticize the author of a web bible for tomato growers

Howdy, Fritz. I'm the author of the above link to Tatianna's Tomatobase. I wrote that to help folks like yourself see the steps and develop your own method. As far as the bleach, it was a popular way to help remove some of the pathogens that are transported on the outside of the seed casing, at the time of my writing.

Today, I rarely use the bleach except when using some scouring powder like Comet to scrub away the seed sacs and gel.

Now, I agree with Marsha. You should swirl the contents and see how many seed fall to the bottom. Here's some photos I just took.

As you can see, I put lids on mine as well, and I don't even take them outside and open them up to catch some fungus spores any more. These are at the midway point where seeds are falling to the bottom. All the jars contain seeds, any liquid from gathering the seeds using the technique from the link (point of the knife),and a little bit of water to make the total liquid viscous enough for the seeds to move easily. This afternoon, there will be about 2 dozen more jars on that shelf.

DSCF0050.JPG

Here's two pictures that show before and after swirling the contents of the jar. As you can see, most of the seeds have fallen to the bottom.

DSCF0051.JPG
DSCF0052.JPG

And you can see that a lid doesn't stop the development of a fungal mat. It's just that the mat is not completely necessary. Let your eyes tell you that the process is working.

DSCF0053.JPG

Like Marsha has emphasized along with others, rinse off those seeds and do a germination test.

[4season]

My first attempt was last fall, not sure I did everything right. So I started 32 seeds just in case and 30 sprouted. I think seeds ( tomato anyway) are determined to try to sprout whether you do it right or not.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by 4season

My first attempt was last fall, not sure I did everything right. So I started 32 seeds just in case and 30 sprouted. I think seeds ( tomato anyway) are determined to try to sprout whether you do it right or not.

This ^

[Cole_Robbie]

I use Oxy Clean. Here's the link: http://settfest.feldoncentral.com/2009/01/saving-seeds/

[ContainerTed]

Right now, I'm hoping more and more people will post here as to how they save their seeds. You see, the job is to remove the gel sacs and the gel and then to dry the seeds. How you do it is up to you. Whatever is comfortable to you for your purposes is your correct way to get the job done for you. As long as you remove the gel and the gel sacs and dry the seeds, you have succeeded in getting it done. Whether you put seeds from the tomato on a paper towel or newspaper and then peel them off (or not) at planting time, it doesn't matter.

Please post your way here and let the new folks know that written procedures like I did and many others have done are simply guidelines and not hard and unchangeable steps in a rigid procedure. Tell us how you do it. There truly is no wrong way to it.

[MissS]

I most often will ferment the seeds just as Ted has described. I use coffee filters over the top of clear beverage cups to allow some air exchange and deter bugs. I mark the filter with the variety name and the start date on the ferment. I keep them indoors out of the way in a shaded spot for 4-5 days. Yes, I do tap the cups hard every day to allow seeds to fall to the bottom. I do use a bleach dip to further clean the seeds before drying.

I sometimes though rarely, will use Oxy Clean. I fill a cup with about 5 oz. of warm/hot water and add a tablespoon of Oxy Clean. I swirl it around until it is dissolved and add the seeds. Wait 10-20 minutes. Strain into another cup and reserve liquid. Rinse the seeds while rubbing them while they are in the strainer. The gel should slide off and be rinsed away. If not, return to the solution and wait 5 more minutes and rinse again until thoroughly clean. You can then use a bleach soak or dry as you wish.

[luigiwu]

I also use the Oxyclean method too and I BARELY have time to get the done - lol! I certainly don't have time for the good old fermentation method.