How to Save Tomato Seeds

permaculturenews.org/2014/07/08/save-tomato-seeds/

July 8,
2014

Fully ripe disease-free tomatoes are the

best candidates for seed saving. Seeds can
be saved casually by squeezing them out
onto a paper napkin and then air drying
them, but fermentation is a better route.
Fermentation removes germination
inhibitors and the gelatinous sheath from
seeds, and it may treat some seed-borne
diseases. Properly stored tomato seeds may
remain viable for over six years.

Bucket of pulp from freshly crushed tomatoes waiting to be poured

into a smaller container to ferment for three days.
1. Rinse tomatoes in water to remove
dirt before harvesting seeds. Cut off
open or damaged parts of fruit. We
collect tomatoes in five gallon
buckets then fill them with water.
Cleaning any dirt off becomes a
natural sweeping motion with your
hands as you grab tomatoes from
the water.

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 2. Cut open ripe tomatoes one variety at a time and squeeze the pulp, juice and seeds
into a container. If you have strong hands, you may crush the tomato in a five gallon
bucket. Try to develop skill holding the tomato right side up and opening the tomato
from the bottom blossom, and, with your fingers, then milking the germplasm gel
which contains the seeds off the central column. This is the fastest method.
3. Pour into a container with a lid. Do not add water as a substitute for tomato juice since
dilution slows fermentation.
4. Label and set aside the containers for three days at a temperature not more than 70°F
(21°C).
5. Stir the fermenting juices to submerge the pulpy material, once or twice daily. This
prevents the build up of mold which is not harmful to the seeds but may discolor
them.
6. After three days decant. Pour into a
larger container that allows you to
add three or more times the volume
of water and pour off the pulpy
water but not the seeds at the
bottom. Viable tomato seeds will
sink. Repeat two or three times until
seeds are clean. Note: not all viable
seed varieties sink in water.

7. If selling seeds commercially, soak clean seed in water with a cap of antibacterial
bleach, 10% bleach solution, for 30 minutes to kill seed-borne disease. Then rinse seed
under cold running water for seven minutes, constantly agitating and stirring the
seed. This post-soak rinsing is needed to reduce total residual chlorine to below the
National Organic Program (NOP) standard of four parts per million. Sanitize
equipment thoroughly between uses to eliminate Late Blight contamination.
8. Pour the seeds into a fine mesh
sieve or window screen. Lightly spray
off remaining gel or debris. If drying
the seeds on a screen, spread out
with water spray, not your hand.
Wet tomato seeds will stick to your
hand.

9. Tap the strainer or rub your hand

under it to remove excess water. Flip
the strainer over, smacking it on a paper plate to deposit the seeds or allow seeds to
dry on a screen.
10. Label drying plate or screen with the variety name and date harvested.

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11. Let the seeds dry for five to six days at room temperature in a well-ventilated place.
Stir and crumble seeds with your fingers daily to prevent them clumping together.
As the seeds dry, lightly rub clumps together between your palms to separate
seeds. We also rub dry seeds through a #2 cleaning screen .132 to separate
remaining clumps before bagging, available from www.horizonherbs.com.
12. Store in zip lock plastic bag in a cool, dark, dry place. Place label inside the bag.
Refrigeration of seeds is not necessary but okay. Do not freeze seeds.

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