Process for Storing Tomato Seeds
Save Your Own Tomato Seeds and Create a Unique Variety
Saving seeds from your cherished heirloom tomatoes can save you a pretty penny next growing season. Most of these tomatoes are self-pollinating, so the resulting offspring will mirror the parent plant. Here's how to do it and even create a brand-new variety by cross-pollinating.
Essential Items
- Ripe tomatoes
- Knife
- Glass jar
- Sieve
- Paper envelope
Total time: 1 hour
Step 1
Select a couple of healthy tomatoes and tag them to avoid accidental consumption. Wait for them to ripen fully on the plant.
Tips and Tricks
Learn more about tomato varieties and pick the best ones for seed saving and crossbreeding.
Step 2
Slice the ripe tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds into a shallow jar of water. The seeds will ferment for four to five days, during which mold will form, helping to remove the gelatinous coating that may inhibit germination.
Step 3
After the fermentation period, pour the seeds through a sieve and rinse them under water to remove the mold.
Step 4
Dry the seeds thoroughly on a piece of kitchen roll and store them in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dark place until spring.
Cross-Pollinating Tomatoes
- Select two plants with desirable traits you wish to combine in a new plant. Remove the anthers from a newly opened flower on the first plant to create a seed-bearing 'mother' plant.
- Rub the anthers of a flower from the second plant on the stigma of the 'mother' plant to facilitate seed development. This plant will produce new fruit, so collect the seed to sow and cultivate your unique tomato variety next year.
A Word on Cross-Pollination and Seed Selection
Tomatoes are primarily self-pollinating, making controlled crossbreeding more manageable. To establish a stable new variety, cross-pollinate plants with desirable traits, harvest the seeds, and cultivate the resulting seedlings. Over multiple generations, continuously select the plants that best exhibit your desired characteristics and save seeds from these plants. Keep records, isolate varieties, and be patient to create your unique tomato variety.
In the process of saving seeds from your cherished heirloom tomatoes, consider exploring different tomato varieties for both seed saving and crossbreeding in your home-and-garden lifestyle. To create a unique variety, follow the practice of cross-pollination by carefully selecting desired traits from two plants and combining them through the process outlined.
