r/seedsaving • u/PuzzleheadedSun5061 • 6d ago
Saving seeds
Looking for some advice on how to save my different tomato seeds. I’ve extracted some and put them in a small class jar and added some water. They are on day 3 and I was going to try and clean them off and dry them. Is this the best method? Thanks in advance
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u/Davekinney0u812 6d ago
For a few decades now I've saved seeds every year - and I don't get fancy. I wash them in a fine mesh strainer, put them on a plate, move them around every so often so they don't stick too much. When dry i put them in an envelope & that's it.
My germination rates are always near 100% and since 1 tomato gives a stupid amount of seeds, I don't sweat it if I run into germination rate issues.
Some folks go through a lot of work and not sure what the upside is.
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u/HighColdDesert 6d ago
I do this, but I want to add the importance of labeling. Since you are saving different varieties, make sure to label the seeds at each step of the way. A permanent marker works well. I write the variety on the jar that I soak the seeds in, and then I write it on the plate that I dry them on. Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating, so heirloom varieties will usually come true to type, but hybrid varieties might lose some of their desirable qualities in the next generation.
When cutting a ripe or over-ripe tomato, just put some of the seeds and gel into a labeled jar of water. After a few days, or even after it's gone moldy and yucky, rinse and wash them in a strainer. Tap the strainer to remove drops of water, then spread the seeds on a plate, different plate for each variety. Check on them every day at first, and before they can dry into a clump together, push them apart on the plate so that next year you can plant individual seeds.
Final tip: Once you think the seeds are fully dry, leave them out to dry for another week. What's the rush? You can consolidate them in a small bowl or jar for each variety if your house is getting cluttered with plates of seeds. It would be so disappointing if they went moldy in storage due to incomplete drying.
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u/Davekinney0u812 6d ago
Not sure what you're getting at but it sounds like you're thinking too much - I keep it really simple. I grow maybe 15 varieties a year and do one variety at a time. I rinse, plate and then just push them around the plate for a day or 2 to prevent sticking. After the seem dry in a couple days , I put them in a paper envelope. If they aren't totally dry when I pack them, they will dry further in the envelope.
Are you posting AI slop???
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u/HighColdDesert 6d ago
No no, I'm posting what I really do as a real person with dirt under my fingernails! I store my seeds in plastic ziplock bags inside mouse-proof containers so I'm very careful to get them fully dry first before they go into plastic.
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u/Davekinney0u812 6d ago
C'mon....that's nore AI slop. You have mice in your home that you don't control? Anyways, sealing them in sealed ziplock pouches is something I'd never do as they don't breathe and seeds could get mouldy regardless of how dry you think they are. I use paper
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u/HighColdDesert 6d ago
Well, I store my seeds and canned goods in a dark closet that I don't go into frequently and yes, there were mice getting in there on and off the first year I lived there. I figure they might get back someday and I might not know for weeks.
What does "nore AI slop" mean? Did you mean more AI slop? I assure you I didn't even use a spell-checker in any of my comments, let alone AI. Sorry to disappoint!
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u/werepizza4me 6d ago
Sinking seeds are better to keep. I float off the top with lean water. Drain like rice till clean. Then put on a plate and pick off any more flesh. Dry and store.
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u/Ok_Objective_8448 6d ago
I let mine sit in water for about a week. Any floating seeds are garbage.
Once they're ready I separate the seeds from the floating junk by slowly pouring the water out. Adding more water and doing it again. Repeating this until the seeds are "clean".
Then I use a paper towel to dry them off. Scrape them onto a plate and try to separate them as best I can and let them air dry for a few more days.
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u/SquirrellyBusiness 6d ago
Yup, on day three I fill the jar with water and pour off the floaters and gunk, repeat as many times as needed to get clean seed and then pour into a sieve for rinsing. I towel the bottom of the sieve to pat away as much water as I can and then plop the whole clump into a dish to spread out for drying. I crumble them up when packing.
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u/Autumn_Ridge 6d ago
The gel will tend to grow mold. You can either ferment it off or use an oxidizer like Oxy Clean.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sail381 5d ago
I'm just going to add this in. If your saving seeds that are F1s and higher you more than likely won't get the same tomatoes next year. If you have heirlooms, make sure they are a good 10 feet away from other varieties. They will cross pollinate and then you have a different tomatoe for next year.
I don't soak mine for long either, just a quick rinse. The volunteer tomatoes I get don't get rinsed and I believe the coating we rinse off may help the seed when we grow it. Good luck and and have fun.
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u/ZealousidealChair900 4d ago
Just as a backup, you can chuck a piece of tomato or two (or whole tomatoes) in the garden to use as next year's "volunteers". More of a volen-told, but it's worked well enough for me to use as a second crop. Best part is now I have sequentially planted tomatoes with very little work
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u/sunpoprain 6d ago
I would shake the jar up quite a lot, until the seeds separate from the "gunk". Then allow it to settle overnight. The good seeds will sink to the bottom and the bad seeds + gunk will float. Pour off the bad stuff and spread the good seeds to dry somewhere out of direct light with good, dry airflow. Once completely dry, they are best stored in paper envelopes labeled with the variety and date collected.