This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Saving tom seeds...
Zoomer44
Posts: 3,267
in Fruit & veg
I want to save some tom seeds from a few different varieties. When is the best time to pick the toms for saving the seeds. Do they need to be ripe or can seeds be saved from green toms.
0
Posts
I have only saved them from reasonably ripe (red) tomatoes.
If you look on the Real Seeds site it tells you precisely how to gather them. I have done it. I think the toms have to be ripe. Green toms will ripen if you give them enough time.
Ripe is best and easiest but you can, if need be, save viable seed from about the time the tom is changing from dark green to lighter green. A good test is to cut open a tom and have a look inside. If the seed has fully developed its gel coating, it's usually good to go.
Sounds like it's best to wait for the toms to ripen. Three varieties have ripe toms on so I made a start this evening with moneymaker. I'd picked and eaten all the ripe toms on Christmas grape, red pear and floridity before deciding to save some seeds
so they are ripening on the vine hung from the GH ceiling.
Italophile - Golden sunrise, may have had a fungus and some of the toms developed rusty spots around the top of the developed fruits, is this plant worth saving seeds from if I choose healthy fruit.
Welshonion - I couldn't find the real seeds site, is that's it's full name, the site I found was all about cannabis seeds
I always bag the flowers on plants when I'm going to save seeds just to guarantee against cross-pollination. Once the fruit has set I remove the bag and tie some coloured thread to the fruit (or truss) to remind me it's for seed-saving. Sometimes I completely overlook the thread when harvesting and eat the dang things!
If GS had some fungus on the leaves it won't have impacted on the fruit or its seeds. The only real risk with saving seeds in terms of disease is perpetuating seed-borne disease. I doubt your GS suffered any such.
Anyway, it's always a good idea to ferment the seeds in the saving process. Some people just remove the seeds and dry them. Fermenting them does two important things: (1) the gooey seed gel, left in place, can inhibit germination and fermenting removes it quickly and easily; and (2) it kills off pathogens that might be lurking.
Here you are Zoomer http://www.realseeds.co.uk/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dovefromabove - got the link - what an excellent site, it's gone into my favourites. I was a little keen with the seeds saved yesterday, missing out fermentation completely
. I've three varieties now in water and fermenting.
Saving seeds is a learning curve at present
, all advise is welcome.
Italophile - Wish now I'd bagged my beans, according to 'real seeds' broad beans need to be a mile apart to avoid cross pollination
.
Hi, just to let you guys know, I've dried Floridity, Golden Sunrise and Red Pear. Followed the advise, fermented them for 3-4 days, all seeds sank in the water when rinsed and they've dried out nicely, the seeds didn't even stick to the plate
I've Christmas Grape, Money Maker and a 3rd variety which have ripened after being hung upside down in GH so will be saving those
Good going, Zoomer. A guaranteed way for the seeds not to stick when they're drying is to use unbleached cone coffee filters. I use the Melitta brand. They absorb the moisture in a flash and don't cling onto the seeds.
Thanks again.