A ripe tomato has a lot of seeds inside. New tomato plants could grow from this in the following year. But the seeds are small and moist, and kind of slimy too. For months of storage, they must be properly dried beforehand.

Tomatoes bear many seeds

True seed tomatoes or hybrid varieties?

True seed varieties pass on all the typical characteristics to their offspring. If you liked this year's tomatoes, you can easily repeat the taste experience the following year.

Seeds from F1 hybrids are unpredictable in this regard. Plants that germinate develop different properties. In most cases, however, the daughter plants grow poorly and produce inferior fruit quality.

Select a suitable tomato fruit

A healthy and plentiful tomato plant is suitable as a seed supplier. Choose the prettiest tomato fruit that is also fully ripe. For your own needs, the seed of a tomato should be perfectly sufficient.

Get fresh seed

  1. Wash the tomato thoroughly and then dry it with kitchen paper.
  2. Cut the tomato in half with a sharp knife.
  3. Scoop out the small seeds with a spoon.

Drying seeds - the two methods

You can dry wet tomato seeds in two ways:

  • Dry tomato seeds immediately
  • Drying tomato seeds after a wet fermentation

With the first method, you have the least work with the drying process and the seeds are more durable. However, they retain their germ-inhibiting layer and need time to break through after sowing.

Wet fermentation is a bit more complex, but has the advantage that the protective layer against germs is dissolved after the fermentation process. The seeds germinate faster.

Dry tomato seeds immediately

Choose a suitable rootstock for the tomato seeds. The dry seeds tend to stick stubbornly to kitchen paper, but they are easier to remove from a smooth wooden board.

  • Distribute the seeds well on the base
  • each seed lies best by itself
  • put in a warm and airy place
  • the window sill is well suited
  • the ideal temperature is between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius
  • leave to dry for approx. 2 to 3 days

Drying tomato seeds after a wet fermentation

  1. Place the seeds in a glass of water and cover with cling film.
  2. Once the fermentation process has started, you need to keep a close eye on the jar of seeds. After a day or two, the seeds sink to the ground and the next step is due.
  3. Put the mixture in a sieve and rinse the seeds under a strong jet of water.
  4. Spread the seeds out on paper towels or a coffee filter to dry.

tips

You can tell when the fermentation process is over when the seeds start to feel rough. If drying is not resumed immediately, the seeds will soon begin to germinate.

Store dried tomato seeds correctly

The dried seeds can be stored in a paper bag or lightproof container in a dry place.
At an ideal room temperature between 2 and 12 degrees Celsius, they can be kept for five to eight years.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden