Saving Tomato Seeds - Survivalist.AI

In much the same way as saving cucumber seeds, it’s simple to save your heirloom tomato seeds to plant next season or even five seasons later.

First task is to choose an open pollinated, ripe, heirloom tomato

Step 1 – Scoop Out the Tomato Seeds

Carefully spoon out seeds from your tomato. Be sure to use an heirloom tomato, as supermarket tomatoes are hybrid varieties that won’t yield the same fruit you expect. The best way is to ask your friend or neighbor for their tastiest home grown tomato, and use those seeds.

Step 2 – Clean the Tomato Seeds

Gently rinse the seeds to get excess tomato off.

Step 3 – Let the Tomato Seeds Ferment

Let the tomato seeds ferment in water in an open container for 2-3 days. If you have a bug or dust problem, loosely tie a paper towel over the lid. Fermentation helps remove the gooey coating on the seed. This coating is a germination inhibitor that prevents seedling growth.

I should’ve rinsed the seeds more after I scooped them out. But it turned out okay anyway.

A bit of mold is normal. The liquid will also be quite stinky due to fermentation.

Step 4 – Dry the Tomato Seeds

After a few days of fermentation, pour the solution through a sieve to catch the seeds. Rinse them thoroughly — use your fingers to gently wash them.

Then place the seeds on a plate to air dry. This will take a day or two in normal conditions. If you’d like to speed up the process, you can place the seeds in front of a fan.

A couple of days and I’ll place these dried tomato seeds into storage

You’re finished! Place the seeds into a labeled envelope for planting in March or April.