Tomato Tuesday: Saving Seeds

I don't know about you, but I am a very disorganized gardener. I plant things at random and never write down what I planted or where I got the seeds from!

I wonder what these are!

At the end of the summer, I find myself in a dilemma of favoring a certain tomato I grew, but having no idea where I got the tomato plant from.

One thing I do know, is that I usually grow heirloom tomatoes and so I simply save the seeds and can replant them next year. Hopefully no one asks me what kind of tomatoes they are!

You can save seeds from any heirloom tomatoes you grow. Why only heirloom? Read this post to find out more.

There are several ways you can save your seeds, but I have had an extremely high success rate with this method, probably a 95% success rate of the seeds germinating. So yeah, you should try it.

1. Cut your tomato in half and squeeze the seeds into a glass or jar. Do not be concerned if some of the tomatoes "guts" go into the jar as well.

2. Fill the glass with enough water so there is about an inch on top of the seeds.

2. Cover the jar with plastic wrap, poke a few holes to allow air in and out.
3. Let the jar sit for about three days. Make sure to stir or swirl the jar once per day.
4. You will know your seeds are ready because the gel like substance that surrounds the seeds is gone and the jar will smell a bit like yeast.
6. Remove as much of the water and floating "stuff" as you can with a spoon. Any seeds that are on the surface of the water can be removed as well. These seeds have gone bad.
7. Place the seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the jar onto a thick paper towel, spreading them out so they are not touching one another.
8. Let the seeds completely dry out.

9. Place them in an envelope and keep in a cool dark place until next spring! You may want to label your envelope. I might try taking my own advice.

Things to know:
1. Select tomatoes from your healthiest plant.
2. It's normal to see a bit of mold forming on the top of the water.
3. It's very important your seeds are completely dry before storing them or they will go bad.
4. This process rids the seeds of any diseases it may be carrying.

I'm already excited to plant these little seeds next spring, just don't ask me what kind of tomatoes they are!