Seed saving is important for many reasons. Not only does it give you control over what you grow in your garden, it also keeps seeds and their cultivation out of the grubby hands of companies like Monsanto. In addition, it helps to keep the costs of growing your own food down, and it gives you a chance to grow varieties that are not readily available. It also gives you a surplus of seeds which in turn gives you a chance to seed swap, which is a lovely way of meeting gardeners across the world.
Saving seeds from tomatoes is super easy. Firstly, get yourself some nice ripe tomatoes. It is better to get seeds from a homegrown tomato, because most of the ones you buy in the supermarkets are F1 hybrids (if you don’t know what that means click here).
Once you’ve got your tomatoes, preferably vine ripe, cut them in half and scoop out the soft seeds and flesh.
Put that into an old jam jar, and cover with water. Then cover the top of the jam jar with cling film. Using a sharp knife, poke a couple of holes in the cling film.
Then, leave the jar out of sunlight for 3-5 days. In that time a mould may form on the top of the water, but it is nothing to worry about.
After 3-5 days, rinse the seeds thoroughly. The best way to do this is by tilting the jar, and allowing water from the tap to cause the jar to overflowing. The seeds should naturally stay towards the bottom of the jar, as long as the water is gentle enough.
Once rinsed, dry the seeds on a coffee filter (they will stick if you put them on paper towels). And once dried, store them in an envelope in a dark place until it is time to plant next year’s tomatoes.
Leave a Reply