{"id":6924,"date":"2012-10-10T08:59:52","date_gmt":"2012-10-10T14:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=6924"},"modified":"2017-10-07T09:21:53","modified_gmt":"2017-10-07T15:21:53","slug":"saving-tomato-seeds-step-by-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/saving-tomato-seeds-step-by-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Tomato Seeds Step by Step"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Saving seeds means having fun with some everyday chemistry.<\/strong> Each kind of seed is <em>like a different element<\/em>, that has different properties and reacts in its own way with heat and moisture. There are some <a href=\"https:\/\/mydbsupply.com\/index.php\/blogs\/2012\/09\/10\/what-to-think-about-before-you-save-seeds-from-your-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">basics of preparing for seed saving<\/a>, but there are specific steps for saving each type of seed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here is how I saved some of<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/its-time-to-compare-stupice-tomatoes-to-heinz-tomatoes-in-my-southwest-idaho-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>my stupice tomato<\/strong><\/a> <strong>seed last week:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Three <em>ripe<\/em> stupice tomatoes, cut up and mashed a bit in a quart canning jar.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">NO lid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Placed in an <em>obvious<\/em>,<em> but shady place<\/em> in the kitchen. (it got moved a couple of times when I needed the work space)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Kept at about 70-75 degrees by keeping it AWAY from the sunny spots and stove, refrigerator top, etc. \u00a0Any place that is warm enough to sprout seeds, it DID NOT go.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6933\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6933\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-cut-up-in-jar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6933\" title=\"tomatoes cut up in jar at beginning of seed saving process\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-cut-up-in-jar-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomatoes cut up in jar at beginning of seed saving process\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6933\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomatoes cut up in jar at beginning of seed saving process<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6935\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-mashed-in-jar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6935\" title=\"tomato pulp mashed up and ready to ferment \" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-mashed-in-jar-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato pulp mashed up and ready to ferment \" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato pulp mashed up and ready to ferment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>During the fermenting process:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I <em>stirred<\/em> the tomatoes 2-3 times a day<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Used a regular household metal spoon, in case anyone is wondering if that is okay<\/span><\/li>\n<li><em>Watched out for mold<\/em> or seeds sprouting in the jar. \u00a0Would have scraped mold off if it appeared.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Waiting to do the tomato seed saving until cooler fall weather helps with these issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6940\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-first-day-looking-in-jar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6940\" title=\"day one - checking on the tomato seed ferment\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-first-day-looking-in-jar-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"day one - checking on the tomato seed ferment\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">day one &#8211; checking on the tomato seed ferment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6942\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6942\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-ready-to-wash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6942\" title=\"tomato seed ready to have the fermented tomato pulp washed away\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-ready-to-wash-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato seed ready to have the fermented tomato pulp washed away\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato seed ready to have the fermented tomato pulp washed away<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Then, I rinsed the pulp away from the viable seeds:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">This was done by adding water to the jar, swishing it a bit, then<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Giving the good seeds a <em>chance to settle<\/em> for a minute between rinses, and <em>pouring most of the water off, leaving the seeds in the bottom of the jar<\/em><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Some immature seeds will float<\/span><\/li>\n<li>This took about <em>5 rinses<\/em><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">I picked the last bit of pulp out with the tip of a spoon<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6945\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6945\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-after-one-wash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6945\" title=\"tomato seeds after one rinse\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-after-one-wash-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato seeds after one rinse\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6945\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato seeds after one rinse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6947\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6947\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-after-a-couple-of-washed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6947\" title=\"tomato seeds after a couple more rinses\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-after-a-couple-of-washed-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato seeds after a couple more rinses\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6947\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato seeds after a couple more rinses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6951\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6951\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-nearly-clean.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6951\" title=\"tomato seeds not quite pulp free\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-nearly-clean-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato seeds not quite pulp free\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6951\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato seeds not quite pulp free<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6952\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6952\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-ready-to-drain.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6952\" title=\"tomato seeds ready to drain\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-ready-to-drain-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"tomato seeds ready to drain\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6952\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">tomato seeds ready to drain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Next, they were prepared for drying:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I drained more of the water off using a wire mesh stainer<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">The seeds were loosely arranged on a piece of wax paper to dry for a couple of days<\/span><\/li>\n<li>I still kept them in shady places<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">They still kind of stick together when dry<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6956\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6956\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-wire-mesh-strainer.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6956\" title=\"check to make sure tomato seeds won't slip through wire mesh and down the sink!\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-wire-mesh-strainer-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"check to make sure tomato seeds won't slip through wire mesh and down the sink!\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6956\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">check to make sure tomato seeds won&#8217;t slip through wire mesh and down the sink!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6958\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6958\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-drying-on-waxed-paper.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6958\" title=\"make sure paper won't blow away or get flipped, prematurely dispersing your seeds \" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-drying-on-waxed-paper-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"make sure paper won't blow away or get flipped, prematurely dispersing your seeds \" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">make sure paper won&#8217;t blow away or get flipped, prematurely dispersing your seeds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>If you would like to find out if your seeds will actually grow next spring:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get a paper towel quite moist<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Wrap a few seeds in it<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Place the rolled paper towel in a plastic baggy<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">NOW place it in a warm spot, like the top of the refrigerator<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Check it after 3 days to see if seeds sprouted<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Then, check daily, because it could take a little longer<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I forgot to check everyday, so my sprouts started to turn a little dark before I got the picture. \u00a0I wasn&#8217;t inspired to count and do the math for the precise germination rate, but you can see most of them sprouted. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6961\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6961\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-sprouted-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6961\" title=\"sprouted tomato seeds to check for viability\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-sprouted-2-277x300.jpg\" alt=\"sprouted tomato seeds to check for viability\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-sprouted-2-277x300.jpg 277w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-sprouted-2-946x1024.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6961\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">sprouted tomato seeds to check for viability<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>For storage:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Break the seeds apart and check that they are thoroughly dried<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Put in a container that will keep them cool, dry, and away from light.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>I use these <a href=\"http:\/\/www.specialtybottle.com\/straightsidedamberglassjar85oz25mlwstdlid.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dark jars from Specialty Bottle<\/a>. \u00a0The jars close more securely than envelopes.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">If you live in a humid environment, you probably want to put packets in to suck the moisture out of the air<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I store my seeds in the cool basement food storage pantry. \u00a0It stays about 63 degrees Fahrenheit in there.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6966\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6966\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-brown-jar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6966\" title=\"dried tomato seeds in jar for storage\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-brown-jar-300x143.jpg\" alt=\"dried tomato seeds in jar for storage\" width=\"300\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-brown-jar-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/saving-tomato-seeds-in-brown-jar-1024x491.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6966\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">dried tomato seeds in jar for storage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here are a couple of good resources for the seed saving process for many types of plants:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnnyseeds.com\/p-5517-growing-garden-seeds.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growing Garden Seeds<\/a> by Johnny&#8217;s Selected Seeds<br \/>\nand <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0878577521\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0878577521&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=dailyimprov-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New Seed Starter&#8217;s Handbook<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=dailyimprov-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0878577521\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n[hr]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saving seeds means having fun with some everyday chemistry. Each kind of seed is like a different element, that has different properties and reacts in its own way with heat and moisture. There are some basics of preparing for seed saving, but there are specific steps for saving each type of seed. Here is how [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,19],"tags":[49],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6924"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6924\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}