Go grab a tomato and a small bowl of water. You and I are going to save tomato seeds. Because we are awesome. And cheap.
Saving money is only one of the reasons to save tomato seeds. The main reason to do it is so you can give them away. Ditto for saving lettuce, onion seeds or anything else.
Giving tomato seeds away makes you, the giver, feel good because it allows you to selflessly pass on a solid 4 months of hornworms, a bit of crying and blight to a fellow gardener.
We gardeners are all about sharing. Except with the squirrels.
Of course the benefit is also that we, the seed saving people of the world, are all contributing to keeping these old varieties alive.
Nobody knows exactly how many varieties of tomatoes there are, but there are thousands. 3,000 of which are heirloom tomatoes. And THOSE are the seeds you want to save.
Table of Contents
What You Need
- ripe heirloom tomato
- water
- bowl
- sieve
Quick Reference Instructions
- REMOVE THE SEEDS from a very ripe tomato into a small bowl.
- FERMENT THE SEEDS for 3-4 days by covering them with around ½ cup of water.
- STRAIN & RINSE the seeds in a sieve.
- LET THE SEEDS DRY by tapping them out onto a plate or bowl. It will take around a day for them to dry.
- LABEL & STORE your seeds in a paper envelope. Avoid airtight containers - if they aren't dried through, they can go mouldy in an airtight container.
What's an heirloom tomato?
An heirloom tomato is one that hasn't been bred with another tomato plant. Its genetics are always exactly the same as it's parent because tomatoes have both male and female plant parts and they pollinate themselves. Think of it this way - it's as if you had a baby and that baby was an exact replica of you. And when that baby grows up and has a baby it will be an exact replica of both of you. THAT's an heirloom tomato.
What's a hybrid tomato?
(hybrids are often labelled as an F1 hybrid on the seed packet or seedling)
A hybrid tomato is a cross between two different tomato varieties. The pollen from the anther of one variety of tomato is transferred to the pistil of another.
So hybrids are more like actual humans. One variety of tomato is used as the "dad" and a different variety is used as the "mom". When those two breed together, you get a tomato has a combination of both parent's qualities. It will be unique.
Why do you need to know this? Because even though you can technically save seeds from any tomato, only an heirloom tomato seed will produce an exact replica of the tomato it was taken from.
Hybrid tomato seeds could produce almost anything but it won't be the same as the tomato you got it from or either one of its parents. You can still save these seeds, you just have no idea what you're going to end up with or if it will taste good.
So it makes sense that you're going to want to save seeds from heirloom tomatoes.
Having said that, I had a hybrid cherry tomato plant in my front garden years ago that self seeded itself. Ever since then I've let it continue to self seed. Some years the tomatoes taste fantastic, other years they're bland. But no matter what they climb all over my picket fence and look good.
Saving Tomato Seeds
Saving tomato seeds is easy but there is one crucial step you have to take that you don't do when saving other seeds like those from onions, flowers, beets or whatever else.
Tomato seeds need a period of fermenting (soaking in water until the water gets putrid basically). Strangely fermented pickles never get that same pukey smell.
You know that jelly-like guck around the tomato seeds? In order to remove that you need to ferment the seeds. Fermenting breaks down that guck that surrounds all tomato seeds.
- Cut a very ripe tomato in half across the middle (not from stem to blossom end) and scoop out the seeds into a small bowl. You can also just squeeze the seeds out.
2. The jelly-like guck surrounding tomato seeds needs to be fermented off by soaking them in water.
3. Cover seeds with water so they're submerged by an inch or two. Now you wait until a layer of mould appears on the top of the water and it starts to stink.
4. Let the seeds ferment like that on the kitchen counter for a few days. The first time you gag and think to yourself, There's definitely a dead raccoon in this kitchen - THAT'S when your seeds are ready for the next step.
5. Dump the seeds and putrid water into a sieve to drain and rinse.
6. Tap the cleaned seeds out onto a plate or bowl and label what type they are so you don't forget because you will.
☆TIP☆
To avoid any confusion or mix ups I write the variety directly on the bowl or plate with a Sharpie marker. It will just wipe away with a cloth later.
You can see that the pulp surrounding the seeds is completely gone.
Tomato Seeds Not Germinating?
Tomato seeds are pretty smart. They actually have a sprout inhibitor built into them so they don't start to grow while they're in the tomato.
Fermenting kills the sprout inhibitor and allows them to germinate once you plant them. Fermentation also protects the seed & makes it more resistant to disease and bacteria.
If you haven't fermented your tomato seeds before saving them your germination rate will be reduced because they still contain that natural sprout inhibitor.
No Tomatoes? No Problem.
Even if you didn't plant any heirloom tomatoes this year that doesn't mean you can't save seeds from them.
Take a trip to your local farmer's market or organic grocery store and buy a few heirloom tomatoes. Whatever looks good to you. Ask the farmer about them. They'll know which ones are the sweetest or saltiest. Take them home and taste them.
Save the seeds of the ones you like best.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding. I know you, you'll save them all.
Saving Tomato Seeds
How to save tomato seeds to save money and historic varieties.
Materials
- Ripe heirloom tomato
- Water
- Bowl
- Sieve
Instructions
- Scoop or squeeze seeds out of a very ripe tomato into a bowl.
- Add ½ to 1 cup of water to the bowl and leave the seeds on the counter.
- Check the seeds daily - after 3-4 days of sitting, they will have fermented. When the bowl smells like dead fish breath you'll know you're ready to move onto the next step.
- Strain and rinse the seeds in a sieve.
- Tap the clean seeds out onto a plate or in a bowl and let them dry for a day or two.
- Label and package your seeds.
Notes
Store seeds in a paper envelope.
Avoid storing the seeds in an airtight container like a pill bottle because if the seeds aren't 100% dry they can go mouldy in those conditions.
Resist the urge to dry the seeds on paper towels to speed up the process. They'll stick to the paper towel as they dry and getting them off of there will frustrate the hell out of you.
When to Save Them
The best time to save tomato seeds is at the beginning of the season when you have plenty of tomatoes. Or when you remember.
I usually remember in the fall after I've picked all of my tomatoes and the plants are just a crispy, brown, blight riddled vine clinging to the string I grow them on. So maybe go with the beginning of the season.
If you're reading this at the end of the season and your tomatoes are still green but a frost is closing in, DON'T LET THEM ROT & DIE A HUMILIATING DEATH ON THE VINE! Read my guide on how to save and store green tomatoes so they slowly ripen throughout the fall.
Not just because you're cheap. You're also vindictive. Those squirrels think the last tomatoes are theirs by default. Not this year Mr. Squirrel. Not this year.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Well, I hate to point this out but if you planted more than one variety of tomatoes in you yard, chances are that you hybridized your own tomatoes.
Those different varieties planted close together? The bees/pollinators spread pollen from one plant to another, and now you have hybrid seeds.
My dad plants about 300 tomato plants (he sells them) and half are heirlooms/half are roma. But he puts one heirloom waaaaaay away from the crop and only saves seeds from that one plant. In the past, saving seeds from the crop grew hybridized tomatoes.
Also, I change the water in my seed saving cup every day and it doesn't get gross, yet still works.
Lisa - I actually asked Linda about planting heirlooms close together and she said it's fine. Heirloom tomatoes very VERY rarely suffer from cross pollination with each other and are self pollinating. Also, it's actually impossible for them to cross pollinate in the first year. See? I'm not so dumb. :) ~ karen
I will anxiously await next year's results!! Odd about her comment though - every year I get seedlings come up that I usually let grow in place, and each year they are heirloom/cherry hybrids. And they all taste awful, but I dream that one day I'll create my own awesome tomato variety and name it after my dad. :-)
It's possible that a hybrid could cross pollinate with an heirloom. I have no idea really ... I just know heirlooms and heirlooms won't likely cross pollinate. I brought it up to Linda, because I thought that cross pollination might be the reason my "Black Crim" tomatoes looked nothing like Black Crim. As it turns out ... I just got an errant seed by accident and am growing God knows what kind of tomato, LOL. ~ k!
There are quite few false statements in your article. I thought I should comment on the most obvious one.
Heirloom tomatoes seeds are not "guaranteed to get an exact replica of it". I'm not sure where Linda is getting her information, but tomatoes, heirloom or otherwise, readily cross pollinate in the presence of bees. The ability to self pollinate doesn't imply the inability or even unlikelihood to to cross pollinate. The idea that heirloom tomatoes can't cross pollinate in the first year is false. What Linda is probably referring to is that most heirlooms have dominant genetic traits, that means when they cross pollinate the resulting offspring often still strongly resemble the parent plant. But that doesn't mean that they don't cross pollinate.
And on the need to ferment the seed before storing. It's not necessary, but it does give the added benefit of faster germination times and less likelihood of fouling.
HI Siggy. It's me Karen. The author of the article. I believe I stated that you can indeed save seeds without fermentation. If you think my name is Linda, then I'll respond as her. Most of my information comes from Linda Crago who is a world leader in seed saving and heirloom tomatoes. She is a friend of mine. I understand your confusion about cross pollination of tomatoes, because many people are under the same impression. However, the likelihood of tomatoes cross pollinating with each other, even when planted side by side is extremely remote. In fact, almost impossible. That in fact is why heirlooms have existed for centuries. Thanks for reading. ~ karen (not linda)
Here's a quick reference for you. You can skip right to seed collecting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato ~ karen!
perfect timing! I have a purple russian waiting in my kitchen right now. Waiting to ripen so I can harvest its seeds.
My tomatoes did poorly this year- not sure what their problem was. But my Big Beef were puny, my Early Girls were late and my Better Boys weren't as good as others.
These boastful hybrids may have better math skills than their inbred heirloom cousins but these conniving breeds didn't live up to their names this year.
Bastards. ~ karen
Wow! Thank you so much Karen! I was just wondering how to do this and was gonna google it! I opened my email and there you were! You have like ESPN....or something ;P haha I love your blog!!
Hah! ~ k
Paulette, pay attention!!!!!!
oh lord, that was one of the funniest ever. Not to mention, very informative. xox
I'd read about that before and it just seemed too complicated -- seeing the pictures lets my little brain know that it's not so tricky. Thanks!
By the way, I have occasionally sliced into a tomato and discovered a seed that has started to sprout -- I guess it's lost its inhibitions!
I too had that sprouted-seed-growing-inside-a-tomato experience. I figured it was some kind of end-of-the-world portent, but here we are, still alive and talking about spotty peckers.
Here's my method, Karen. I let a few buggy or rotten tomatoes fall to the ground in the garden. There they rot. I remove plants at and of season and work the soil a bit. In the spring I get nice volunteer heirloom tomatoes. So much easier than your method!
Thanks for this!I hated all but 2 of my 'maters this year. I'm going to the Farmers Market to pick out the ones I loved and see if they will work for me next year!
Just like to say your photography is exceptional. -j
Thanks Jeff. I'm still trying to figure out this whole photography thing but after a year and a half the pics are finally getting a bit better. :) ~ k
Thank you, thank you, thank you - I have an Heirloom tomato plant (my first one ever) and the tomatoes were so good that I wanted to save the seeds for next year but had no idea how to do it with all the gunk around them - NOW I know!!
Thanks! and thank you too for turning me onto Cubit's Seeds - I bought some seeds from her and had some different kinds of tomatoes all were very good.
If an heirloom tomato can stay pure for hundreds of years, one wonders why Monsanto's genetically modified spores can't stay out of neighboring farmers' fields. Conspiracy? I think so. Having anything to do with bears' asses, octomom porn, or willy wonker's pecker? Prolly not, but interesting just the same.
thanks for the tomato info, but not for the ear worm of "willy wonker’s pecker" now being sung to music in my brain
I found this method was really easy, especially for those pesky little cherry tomato seeds. I was surprised how easy they came clean after the yuckiness of the mold
Great.
Now I'm envisioning a pecker covered with those rainbow colored candy dots that comes (sorry, poor word choice) are sold on rolls of paper.
Your seeds look gorgeous, but what a hassle! If you're going to store them in a dry, dark place and you don't mind if they don't look pretty, scoop them out onto a piece of kitchen paper (or thick toilet paper) set on a plate or tray, guck and all, spread evenly, write the name of the variety in ballpoint (markers/sharpies will run) and leave it to dry. The guck dries and sticks the seeds to the paper. When dry, roll up the paper and store in an envelope or other porous material. To plant: cut small strips/squares of the paper and plant in rows/pots/grow bag, paper and all. The paper decomposes quickly, and I find it easier to plant this way as tomato seeds are so fiddly. But they don't look as nice as yours!
Hi Naila - I don't see this as being a hassle at all. I mean, you scoop tomato seeds into a bowl, pour water over them and ignore them for 4 days. Also, with your method, the seeds don't actually ferment. Tomato seeds are best to ferment. They will sprout faster and be more disease resistant. ~ karen
Oh, my gosh, you make me laugh! Thanks!
You did write that. So much for speed reading! You share so much great information. Thanks for the quick reply.
I hope your little genetics lesson dissuaded someone somewhere from A.I.D..
I have just realised this means I can buy all those interesting stripey tomatoes at the Farmer's Market and go forth and multiply! The heritage tomatoes I grew this year from a free packet of seeds with Sunset Magazine have given me confidence, and now you have given me more: Karen, I thank you.
Very welcome. ~ k
Hahah great post Karen!
Is there a reason why you let it sit for 4 days? I've collected some seeds into a tissue from a fresh tomato and now I'm wondering if they'll even work.
Sorry Paulette, I thought I mentioned that in the post. YOu let the seeds sit for 4 days in order to ferment. The fermenting gets rid of the "guck" around the seed, it stops the natural "sprout inhibitor" that tomato seeds carry, and it builds up their resistance to disease. ~ karen!
We only grow Amish Heirloom tomatoes and collect the seeds, put them on paper towels, let them dry, cut the paper towels into little squares and then plant them in pots to start in the spring. They never fail to come up.