I have not tried this method, but I wonder if I'd need to. I grow the same heirloom tomatoes year after year, and I don't even know their name as I was given the originals from an old neighbor. At...
I have not tried this method, but I wonder if I'd need to. I grow the same heirloom tomatoes year after year, and I don't even know their name as I was given the originals from an old neighbor. At the end of each season I just take a full paper towel, squeeze out all the seeds from one tomato - goo and all - into one corner of the towel, then I fold it into a fourth of itself, and write on it with pen. The wet square dries out in my laundry room, and is kept in a cool dark place until I wet the paper towel in spring, and start again.
Oh interesting... I did a similar process last year with an heirloom varietal I loved. But I cleaned the goo off, and then dried them. Then I put them in a baggy. I had like a 90% germination this...
Oh interesting... I did a similar process last year with an heirloom varietal I loved. But I cleaned the goo off, and then dried them. Then I put them in a baggy.
I had like a 90% germination this year, much more than I expected. So many Cherokee Purple plants going! Just got our first two to eat this weekend. Absolutely delicious.
Hey that's great! Next year, try doing half the lazy me way, and see if your process is still better. I know I'm far too lazy to do it, ha. Heirlooms are so ugly aren't they? But I get canker...
Hey that's great! Next year, try doing half the lazy me way, and see if your process is still better. I know I'm far too lazy to do it, ha. Heirlooms are so ugly aren't they? But I get canker sores every year from eating slice after delicious slice with salt and pepper, they are the most flavorful tomatoes.
Oh boy are they ever. This year's Cherokee Purps are DIVINE. Really nice lime zest notes with an intensely stewed tomato taste. Super juicy and great texture. Just absolutely amazing. Been making...
Oh boy are they ever. This year's Cherokee Purps are DIVINE. Really nice lime zest notes with an intensely stewed tomato taste. Super juicy and great texture. Just absolutely amazing.
Been making a breakfast plate of tomatoes, with S&P, whipped ricotta cheese with S&P and a splash of Olive oil, topped with fresh picked basil.
So I tried their method, sort of? I fermented the seeds and pulp for around 48hrs, then used my coffee roaster knowledge and simply ran some tap water over them in a fine mesh sieve (they do this...
So I tried their method, sort of?
I fermented the seeds and pulp for around 48hrs, then used my coffee roaster knowledge and simply ran some tap water over them in a fine mesh sieve (they do this at coffee plantations to achieve a similar result) . The flesh remaining washed away, and the gooey coating did as well. I simply shook them dry and then put them on some wax paper to dry in a warm spot. Super easy.
This post has been 2 years in the making. Using the instructions in the article linked above we saved seed from a tomato plant. This year we planted them out. 95% success rate.
This post has been 2 years in the making.
Using the instructions in the article linked above we saved seed from a tomato plant.
I'd love to save tomato seeds - I'm planting all heirloom varieties, but how genetically stable are the seeds from open-pollinated plants? It sounds like /u/artren got Cherokee Purples from a...
I'd love to save tomato seeds - I'm planting all heirloom varieties, but how genetically stable are the seeds from open-pollinated plants?
It sounds like /u/artren got Cherokee Purples from a Cherokee Purple plant, but I've usually got 15+ different varieties closely interplanted. It always seemed to me that I'd be randomly mixing and matching traits.
Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating and will normally breed true if they come from a well-established variety (i.e., they are not hybrids). They cannot be pollinated by most pollinators,...
Exemplary
Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating and will normally breed true if they come from a well-established variety (i.e., they are not hybrids). They cannot be pollinated by most pollinators, including honeybees. They can be pollinated by bees that perform buzz pollination, such as bumble bees and blue-banded bees, but the chances of this are generally low.
I used to hand-pollinate tomato plants for a commercial farm in order to produce F1 hybrid seed, and we did not bother to exclude pollinating insects from the tomato crops, even when there were many different varieties in the vicinity that we weren't hybridizing. The much bigger problem was cross-pollinating the flowers before they could self-pollinate. This required emasculating the flowers (yes, that really is the term for it): manually extricating the "male" parts of the flower while it is still immature, so that the pollen never gets a chance to develop.
When I save seed in my home garden, I grow many different varieties together, and I just pick the one best fruit from each variety and save those seeds. So far, I have never ended up with hybridized seed. It's not impossible, but it's probably not worth stressing about if you're just producing seeds at home for your own use.
If you're very worried (e.g., you are growing a strain or variety that can't easily be replaced), I would recommend saving seeds from several different fruits in each variety and storing/labeling them separately. If one of the seed lots turns out to be hybridized, you can toss it and still have the backup lots.
If it's vital that you don't end up with any hybrids (e.g., you are selling seeds/plants and want to guarantee the purity of your seed), you could use insect netting on the tomato plants.
(Note, this advice is specific to tomatoes. There are many other vegetables that absolutely will cross-pollinate very easily, such as pumpkins, spinach, and corn. If you want these to breed true, you must isolate them from other varieties.)
Thank you, this is very much appreciated! I'd known that saving distinct pepper seeds was very difficult and assumed that tomatoes were similarly vulnerable to cross-pollination. The tomato...
Thank you, this is very much appreciated! I'd known that saving distinct pepper seeds was very difficult and assumed that tomatoes were similarly vulnerable to cross-pollination. The tomato relative, tomatillo, won't even set fruit without pollination from another tomatillo variety.
It's a little surprising that the tomato seed-saving articles out there on the Internet don't mention that tomatoes rarely field-hybridize - probably time for me to invest in a book or two on the subject.
I grow a lot of things, and seem to have a natural green thumb, but I know almost nothing about the how's and the why's, I just....wing it. I'd love to hear someone explain, though.
I grow a lot of things, and seem to have a natural green thumb, but I know almost nothing about the how's and the why's, I just....wing it. I'd love to hear someone explain, though.
Found this searching around, the sort answer looks to be yes: Source:...
Found this searching around, the sort answer looks to be yes:
Remember you should only save seeds from open-pollinated (OP) tomatoes. That includes all the heirlooms. Seeds from hybrid tomatoes, while they may sprout and grow, often produce tomato plants that revert to one of the genetic parent plants, which can produce much different fruit than you're expecting.
I'm fortunate that there's a community annual seed exchange, but I've always been a little suspicious that many of the home-saved seeds have drifted far from the original genetics. The only...
I'm fortunate that there's a community annual seed exchange, but I've always been a little suspicious that many of the home-saved seeds have drifted far from the original genetics. The only vegetable seeds I save on a regular basis are beans, peas, basil, nasturtium, and kale.
I'll give tomato seed saving a try, though. Brad's Atomic Grape is a fantastic tasting, high yielding, very attractive large cherry/grape variety, but it's hard to find. If I can save true-breeding seeds from that one, I'll be delighted.
I agree that there is drift in community-collected seed, but this isn't always a disadvantage. Sometimes the varieties that get 'localised' are better adapted to the local conditions in terms of...
I agree that there is drift in community-collected seed, but this isn't always a disadvantage.
Sometimes the varieties that get 'localised' are better adapted to the local conditions in terms of climate and disease resistance. It's a bit of a trade-off.
Starting open pollinated tomatoes from seed is always a little bit of an adventure, and should be viewed in that light, especially since for most of us our tomato crop does not stand between us and a lean year.
I don't mind the odd dud, and the truly terrible ones (I had one last year that was prolific but genuinely inedible) just get torn out.
Curiously I have found my home-collected basil seeds to exhibit a great deal of variety; I like the variations but if I was looking for a plant to breed true, basil would definitely not be one of them.
As for nasturtiums... in our climate, that are strictly a plant-them-once, have-them-forever plant - they are more than capable of maintaining themselves and require no help!
This is how I save all my goo-covered seeds. It works very well and is pretty low-effort to get clean seeds. I've only been doing it for 3 or so years but I've had no issues from one generation to...
This is how I save all my goo-covered seeds. It works very well and is pretty low-effort to get clean seeds. I've only been doing it for 3 or so years but I've had no issues from one generation to the next.
Similarly, if I want to ensure germination I will put seeds in a folded damp paper towel, inside a plastic bag, and leave it for a couple days. Seeds will start pushing out roots so you can identify which are germinating, and then carefully transplant to pitting medium.
I have not tried this method, but I wonder if I'd need to. I grow the same heirloom tomatoes year after year, and I don't even know their name as I was given the originals from an old neighbor. At the end of each season I just take a full paper towel, squeeze out all the seeds from one tomato - goo and all - into one corner of the towel, then I fold it into a fourth of itself, and write on it with pen. The wet square dries out in my laundry room, and is kept in a cool dark place until I wet the paper towel in spring, and start again.
Oh interesting... I did a similar process last year with an heirloom varietal I loved. But I cleaned the goo off, and then dried them. Then I put them in a baggy.
I had like a 90% germination this year, much more than I expected. So many Cherokee Purple plants going! Just got our first two to eat this weekend. Absolutely delicious.
Hey that's great! Next year, try doing half the lazy me way, and see if your process is still better. I know I'm far too lazy to do it, ha. Heirlooms are so ugly aren't they? But I get canker sores every year from eating slice after delicious slice with salt and pepper, they are the most flavorful tomatoes.
Oh boy are they ever. This year's Cherokee Purps are DIVINE. Really nice lime zest notes with an intensely stewed tomato taste. Super juicy and great texture. Just absolutely amazing.
Been making a breakfast plate of tomatoes, with S&P, whipped ricotta cheese with S&P and a splash of Olive oil, topped with fresh picked basil.
You know they're good when you're eating a plateful of tomatoes for breakfast!
So I tried their method, sort of?
I fermented the seeds and pulp for around 48hrs, then used my coffee roaster knowledge and simply ran some tap water over them in a fine mesh sieve (they do this at coffee plantations to achieve a similar result) . The flesh remaining washed away, and the gooey coating did as well. I simply shook them dry and then put them on some wax paper to dry in a warm spot. Super easy.
Hey, that's also lazy enough for me, I'll try some that way, too👍
This post has been 2 years in the making.
Using the instructions in the article linked above we saved seed from a tomato plant.
This year we planted them out. 95% success rate.
I'd love to save tomato seeds - I'm planting all heirloom varieties, but how genetically stable are the seeds from open-pollinated plants?
It sounds like /u/artren got Cherokee Purples from a Cherokee Purple plant, but I've usually got 15+ different varieties closely interplanted. It always seemed to me that I'd be randomly mixing and matching traits.
Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating and will normally breed true if they come from a well-established variety (i.e., they are not hybrids). They cannot be pollinated by most pollinators, including honeybees. They can be pollinated by bees that perform buzz pollination, such as bumble bees and blue-banded bees, but the chances of this are generally low.
I used to hand-pollinate tomato plants for a commercial farm in order to produce F1 hybrid seed, and we did not bother to exclude pollinating insects from the tomato crops, even when there were many different varieties in the vicinity that we weren't hybridizing. The much bigger problem was cross-pollinating the flowers before they could self-pollinate. This required emasculating the flowers (yes, that really is the term for it): manually extricating the "male" parts of the flower while it is still immature, so that the pollen never gets a chance to develop.
When I save seed in my home garden, I grow many different varieties together, and I just pick the one best fruit from each variety and save those seeds. So far, I have never ended up with hybridized seed. It's not impossible, but it's probably not worth stressing about if you're just producing seeds at home for your own use.
If you're very worried (e.g., you are growing a strain or variety that can't easily be replaced), I would recommend saving seeds from several different fruits in each variety and storing/labeling them separately. If one of the seed lots turns out to be hybridized, you can toss it and still have the backup lots.
If it's vital that you don't end up with any hybrids (e.g., you are selling seeds/plants and want to guarantee the purity of your seed), you could use insect netting on the tomato plants.
(Note, this advice is specific to tomatoes. There are many other vegetables that absolutely will cross-pollinate very easily, such as pumpkins, spinach, and corn. If you want these to breed true, you must isolate them from other varieties.)
Thank you, this is very much appreciated! I'd known that saving distinct pepper seeds was very difficult and assumed that tomatoes were similarly vulnerable to cross-pollination. The tomato relative, tomatillo, won't even set fruit without pollination from another tomatillo variety.
It's a little surprising that the tomato seed-saving articles out there on the Internet don't mention that tomatoes rarely field-hybridize - probably time for me to invest in a book or two on the subject.
I grow a lot of things, and seem to have a natural green thumb, but I know almost nothing about the how's and the why's, I just....wing it. I'd love to hear someone explain, though.
Found this searching around, the sort answer looks to be yes:
Source: https://www.beckysgreenhouse.com/blog-gardening-and-you/can-i-save-seeds-from-tomatoes-to-start-plants-next-year-here-is-what-i-found-out
My concern was like what you get with apple seeds leading to crabapples.
I'm fortunate that there's a community annual seed exchange, but I've always been a little suspicious that many of the home-saved seeds have drifted far from the original genetics. The only vegetable seeds I save on a regular basis are beans, peas, basil, nasturtium, and kale.
I'll give tomato seed saving a try, though. Brad's Atomic Grape is a fantastic tasting, high yielding, very attractive large cherry/grape variety, but it's hard to find. If I can save true-breeding seeds from that one, I'll be delighted.
I agree that there is drift in community-collected seed, but this isn't always a disadvantage.
Sometimes the varieties that get 'localised' are better adapted to the local conditions in terms of climate and disease resistance. It's a bit of a trade-off.
Starting open pollinated tomatoes from seed is always a little bit of an adventure, and should be viewed in that light, especially since for most of us our tomato crop does not stand between us and a lean year.
I don't mind the odd dud, and the truly terrible ones (I had one last year that was prolific but genuinely inedible) just get torn out.
Curiously I have found my home-collected basil seeds to exhibit a great deal of variety; I like the variations but if I was looking for a plant to breed true, basil would definitely not be one of them.
As for nasturtiums... in our climate, that are strictly a plant-them-once, have-them-forever plant - they are more than capable of maintaining themselves and require no help!
Very interesting! I wonder what kind of variety I've got by now, they are still quite delicious
This is how I save all my goo-covered seeds. It works very well and is pretty low-effort to get clean seeds. I've only been doing it for 3 or so years but I've had no issues from one generation to the next.
Similarly, if I want to ensure germination I will put seeds in a folded damp paper towel, inside a plastic bag, and leave it for a couple days. Seeds will start pushing out roots so you can identify which are germinating, and then carefully transplant to pitting medium.
Simple. Waxed paper.