Maybe you’ve finally found THE tomato variety of your dreams or maybe you’re just trying to save a little moolah in your seed budget next year. Either way, learning how to save tomato seeds is a great skill to have in your homesteading toolbelt.
Why save seeds?
Saving seeds is a super economical way to propagate the next season’s garden and allows you to save your seed money for fun new varieties rather than re-buying the same exact seeds year after year. Collecting your own seed also allows you to begin adapting a particular variety to your exact environmental and soil conditions ensuring your garden becomes more and more bountiful each year.
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Hybrid vs. open-pollinated
Before going to the effort to seed save, make sure your plants are open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. This will ensure that your next planting is “true to seed,” which means the seed you planted will grow into the same plant you had the year before.
Avoid saving seed from a hybrid plant. Hybrids are a cross of two different parent varieties and seed saved from them will not reproduce the exact same plant the following year. If you do save and replant a hybrid seed, don’t expect the same exact plant, leaf, or fruit next year!
Cross-pollination concerns
Tomatoes are self-pollinators, which means they don’t need bees to reproduce…but that doesn’t stop pollinators from visiting occasionally. So pollinators could mix things up for you accidentally. If you are growing more than one variety of tomato and really want to prevent cross-pollination you can use one of two methods. Space your each tomato variety 10-25 feet apart (not the most feasible small-scale). Or our preferred method in a small homestead garden, covering up the blossoms before they bloom with little mesh gift bags to prevent pollinators from spreading unwanted pollen.
Save seeds early
Many years we said we were going to save tomato seeds…and then delayed it so long that we either lost a plant to pests, disease, or weather. No plant means no seeds to save. So while your tomato plants are happy and healthy earlier in the season set aside a few tomatoes to save seed from.
How to save tomato seeds
Supplies
- Ripe tomato
- Spoon
- Clear jar + water
- Strainer
- Paper towels
Instructions
- Pick a beautiful ripe tomato. Avoid the deformed or blighted. You only want to pass on the best genetics.
- Slice the tomato in half with the stem on one side and the blossom end on the other. You can slice it the other way, it’s just easier to scoop out the seeds this way.
- Scoop out gel-covered seeds and place in a container of water. A few inches will suffice. Cover with a paper towel and rubber band to prevent fruit flies.
- Allow pulp mixture to sit on the counter and ferment for a few days. When it’s ready, the top will look moldy and gross and the seeds will sink to the bottom of the jar.
- Remove thick pulp with fork or spoon and then strain out the seeds with a colander.
- Rinse seeds briefly under water and then spread out on a plate or bowl to allow them to dry. You can place them on a paper towel, but from our experience they do get stuck. Personal preference!
Label everything
Vigorously label all the seeds you are saving. We’ve grown our fair share of mystery plants over the years, but it’s not fun when you’re wondering what half your garden is…To prevent such a scenario, we like using masking tape on mason jars during the fermentation stage and then we write with a sharpie on the paper towels used for drying off the seeds. And, of course, label your seed packets before placing them in storage.
Seed storage tips
As with all seeds, you’ll need to keep your tomato seed in a cool, dry location to prevent deterioration or premature sprouting. We like using these self-sealing packets to organize our seed storage. Tomato seeds can remain viable for 4-6 years in good storage conditions.
Want to learn more about saving your own seeds? Check out our other posts for tips and tricks to collect seeds and economically grow your garden year after year.
