You are making more work for yourself than necessary. I've saved tomato seeds for years & the quickest & best method that I've used is as follows: 1. Cut the tomato in half. 2. Squeeze or scoop out the gel+seeds into a fine mesh strainer over the sink. 3. Rinse the seeds until all of the gel is gone. Vigorously shake off the excess water. 4. Dump the seeds onto a plastic cutting board or plastic ice cream gallon bucket lid (which is what I use). 5. Spread out the seeds with a finger. 6. Allow the seeds to dry (usually only requires a day or 2 depending on the room temp, but you can certainly wait 5 days, if you wish). 7. Scrape the dry seeds loose from the plastic with a finger nail (which is quite easy to do). 8. Package & label the seeds in a paper seed packet (I carefully opened an old seed packet & traced it onto thin cardboard stock for a template & then use that template on copy paper to make quick home made seed packets). Alternatively, use a clear grocery store produce bag as a storage container, a piece of paper for the packing info (date, tomato variety, etc), & a twist tie. Trim off the excess bag plastic. 9. Put the seeds in a cool dry location (personally, I put them in a Zip-lock bag & put it in the refrigerator & it works perfectly--meaning the seeds last for years using this method). While the above list looks like a lot of steps when detailed, the most time consuming step is making the paper seed packets--which isn't even very time consuming as I can trace, cut, fold, & tape the seams in less than a couple of minutes per packet).
@user-ey2ei5yv3f The odds are that wouldn't matter. Remember, there are lots of micro-organisms in the soil. Seeds are quite capable of lasting until the growing conditions are right to germinate.
I always ferment mine to save and have fantastic germination. I always add a little water. I have also been snipping the suckers off the bottoms of my determinate tomatoes and sticking them in little pots so I have plants ready to go in the ground when my first determinates are done.
I've simply tossed left over seeds I've cleaned up from the cutting board into a space in the garden, or tossed a 'gone over' tomato into a space in the garden and they sprout the next spring when it warms up. Same thing with Japanese Pumpkins, and various kinds of zucchini or squash. The seedlings I don't have space for, I give to neighbors as a gift.
Scott thank you so much for this video. I've had good luck just slicing up a tomato and sticking it in a pot of dirt. I have so many roma tomatoes growing in my backyard now. But I wanted to save some of those seeds to plant in the fall. It's getting really hot here in Orlando. I wish it would rain here. So Thank you for this video! Looks like I have a fun Friday night planned. 🤪 I love gardening. 🍅🍅🍅
I’ve done exact thing with a beautiful heirloom tomato from the store and must have gotten 20 tomatoes plants and 400 beautiful heirloom tomatoes! I’ve never done anything but dried on a paper towel method.. fermenting seems like a messy stinky unnecessary process!! I’ve really fallen for the purple Cherokee and Lava flow tomatoes!! So many awesome varieties!!
Technical term: mush them around. And thats exactly what you have to do! Love it.
You are making more work for yourself than necessary. I've saved tomato seeds for years & the quickest & best method that I've used is as follows:
1. Cut the tomato in half.
2. Squeeze or scoop out the gel+seeds into a fine mesh strainer over the sink.
3. Rinse the seeds until all of the gel is gone. Vigorously shake off the excess water.
4. Dump the seeds onto a plastic cutting board or plastic ice cream gallon bucket lid (which is what I use).
5. Spread out the seeds with a finger.
6. Allow the seeds to dry (usually only requires a day or 2 depending on the room temp, but you can certainly wait 5 days, if you wish).
7. Scrape the dry seeds loose from the plastic with a finger nail (which is quite easy to do).
8. Package & label the seeds in a paper seed packet (I carefully opened an old seed packet & traced it onto thin cardboard stock for a template & then use that template on copy paper to make quick home made seed packets). Alternatively, use a clear grocery store produce bag as a storage container, a piece of paper for the packing info (date, tomato variety, etc), & a twist tie. Trim off the excess bag plastic.
9. Put the seeds in a cool dry location (personally, I put them in a Zip-lock bag & put it in the refrigerator & it works perfectly--meaning the seeds last for years using this method).
While the above list looks like a lot of steps when detailed, the most time consuming step is making the paper seed packets--which isn't even very time consuming as I can trace, cut, fold, & tape the seams in less than a couple of minutes per packet).
@user-ey2ei5yv3f Any finger will do...
@user-ey2ei5yv3f The odds are that wouldn't matter. Remember, there are lots of micro-organisms in the soil. Seeds are quite capable of lasting until the growing conditions are right to germinate.
Great information. You had me laughing at " That taste like disappointment " oh , I've ate those before. Good to see you again. Happy gardening
Great video. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge. 🍅👍
I always ferment mine to save and have fantastic germination. I always add a little water. I have also been snipping the suckers off the bottoms of my determinate tomatoes and sticking them in little pots so I have plants ready to go in the ground when my first determinates are done.
I have that book.
I've simply tossed left over seeds I've cleaned up from the cutting board into a space in the garden, or tossed a 'gone over' tomato into a space in the garden and they sprout the next spring when it warms up. Same thing with Japanese Pumpkins, and various kinds of zucchini or squash. The seedlings I don't have space for, I give to neighbors as a gift.
You are always ahead of us here.
Didn't know all of that thanks for the info
Scott thank you so much for this video. I've had good luck just slicing up a tomato and sticking it in a pot of dirt. I have so many roma tomatoes growing in my backyard now. But I wanted to save some of those seeds to plant in the fall. It's getting really hot here in Orlando. I wish it would rain here. So Thank you for this video! Looks like I have a fun Friday night planned. 🤪 I love gardening. 🍅🍅🍅
Thanks Scott
You’ll have to do peppers 🫑
Next time Mine never turn out right. Just a thought
That was funny “Tastes like a disappointment” 😆
God bless
I feel enjoyed to waching your video, greetings from Indonesia
Love that book. Was very interesting. I like to wash them 😂. I don’t like sticky fingers!
Thanks for showing a simple process in a simple way. Many overcomplicate things.
I’ve done exact thing with a beautiful heirloom tomato from the store and must have gotten 20 tomatoes plants and 400 beautiful heirloom tomatoes! I’ve never done anything but dried on a paper towel method.. fermenting seems like a messy stinky unnecessary process!! I’ve really fallen for the purple Cherokee and Lava flow tomatoes!! So many awesome varieties!!
Just ordered some seeds from the family you recommended. Thanks again Scott for the video!
Thank you very much.
Thanks Scott for that nice information
This is what i did when i was given a tomato & loved the test. Its a big ? what exactly it is.
hi Scott you sure thank you for the information
Thank you for your video! Wow, I learned a lot!
If you have a tomato that is not really red will the seeds grow?
I dry them on plastic after rinsing comes off easily
Can I apply any of these techniques to unripe tomatoes?
No they need to be ripe for the seeds to be viable.
@@ScottHead well noted!
@@ScottHead well noted! TY!
I use the cardboard method if I want to save seed, the seed doesn't stick to it.
I love tomatoes, but can't stand tomato juice.
LOL "Tastes like disappointment"
Why did your plants not turn out well because I grow big tomatoes and it's pretty easy lol