Saving Seeds

Tomato seeds are surrounded by a gel which contains a germination inhibitor. I like to clean my tomato seeds by processing them with Oxiclean washing powder. Not only does it remove this germination inhibitor, and any bits of tomato that might be sticking to the seeds, but it may also help to remove certain soilborne diseases from the seeds so we aren’t carrying a tomato disease from one year to the next.

Fermentation?

The classic method of saving seeds is to leave them out in a cup or container for a few days until they start to ferment. They produce a strong smell and develop a “fungus mat”. Because of the smell, some people let their seeds ferment outside. But if we have 100 degree temperatures, that can “cook” the seeds, making them not viable. Plus, you never know how long it’s going to take for the seeds to separate from the tomato solids. If you’re going on a trip or out of town for the weekend, you might come back to dried out, useless seeds. Fermentation really got to be a hassle for me. And moldy tomato seeds grosses out my roommates!

Hybrids?

Seeds should be saved from open pollinated varieties (eg, heirlooms), unless you are willing to take your chances and experiment a bit, as your saved seeds may not be true-to-type. Most of the tomatoes at the grocery store are hybrids (F1) and so there is a good chance you will not get the same tomato when you save seeds and grow them.

Tomatoes should be ripe or close to it. If possible, avoid saving seeds from deformed or “catfaced” tomatoes as they may have resulted from a fused blossom. Since a fused blossom is usually a much larger flower than the typical tomato blossom, there is a higher likelihood it attracted bees or other pollinators. The seeds you save might be cross-pollinated from another tomato and yield unexpected results.

Note: Make sure your work surface, utensils, cups, strainer, and fingernails are free of any stray seeds before you begin and after each seed saving session.

Hint: It is helpful to get a paper plate ready by writing the variety name on it with a permanent marker before you begin, in case you walk away and forget what variety you saved seeds from. Don’t write with a regular ink pen because moisture will cause the variety name to run.

Step-by-Step

1. Select ripe tomatoes of one variety to save seeds from.
2. Cut a hole or X on the bottom of each tomato and squeeze the juice and seeds into a measuring cup.
3. If the seeds and juice from the tomato are less than 1 cup, add water to make 1 cup. Add 1 tablespoon of Oxiclean washing powder for each cup of tomato seeds/pulp/water.

4. After 30-45 minutes, stir and pour seeds through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Rinse off seeds until they no longer feel “slippery”.
6. Use a paper towel to dry off the bottom of the strainer.

7. Turn the strainer upside down and whack it onto a non-coated paper plate to transfer the seeds to the plate.
8. Spread seeds around so they are not all clumped together. This will let the seeds will dry properly. Cover loosely with a paper towel and set out of reach for approximately 1 week or until seeds are dry.
9. Scrape seeds into a paper envelope (such as Coin Envelopes from your local office supply store) and label with variety name, year, and your seed source.

Mailing Seeds

Domestically, it is easy to mail 3-5 packets of seeds in a standard sized business envelope. Because seed packets can slide around in the envelope when handled, it is strongly recommended to take a blank sheet of letter sized paper and tape the seed packets to it in such a way that no two seed packets are overlapping seeds.

Loose seed packets can attract the attention of postal inspectors, not to mention that if all the seed packets slide to one end of the envelope, seeds may be crushed by mail sorting equipment. Bubble mailers may be used if you want to ensure safe arrival of your seeds.

Mailing seeds to other countries poses additional challenges. Padded/bubble mailers are not recommended as they attract attention. One suggestion is to mail individual seed packets inside of greeting or holiday cards.