How to save tomato seeds

11 Jan

Hi greenthumbs!

Have you ever tried to save your own tomato seeds? There’s a bit of a trick to saving tomato seeds and I’m going to show you how.

step 1

Choose a couple of healthy-looking tomatoes from your garden. Cut them in half and squeeze all the seeds and juice into a jar. The seeds should be covered by liquid, so if there’s not enough juice add some water to cover the seeds.

step 2

Cover the jar with some cheesecloth or a piece of fabric and fix it in place with a rubber band. This is just to keep the flies and bugs away!

Leave the jar to sit in a warm place (but out of direct sunlight) for up to a week. Check on your seeds each day…if they look like they are getting dry, add a bit more water. Make sure they are always covered with liquid.

This helps the seeds ‘ferment’ and gets rid of the stuff around the seeds that could stop them from germinating. It also helps your seeds stay healthy and last longer!

step 3

After about a week, it’s time to rinse your seeds. If there is any mould on the top of the seeds, just scoop it off with a spoon. Then rinse the seeds with water using a sieve (one with very small holes!). You might need to do this a few times until your seeds are all clean.

Put the seeds on a tea towel to dry for about a week.

Once they are fully dry you can put your tomato seeds in an envelope. Write the name of the type of tomato and the month and year you collected them on the front on the envelope. Then put it in your seed container and store in a cool place. Now you have your own tomato seeds ready to plant next time!