Hello dirtygardener73! Thank you for sharing and am glad you were able to learn something new. Happy Gardening!
Coletta
The Grocery Garden
http://thegrocerygarden.blogspot.com

Here is a link that might be useful: The Grocery Garden

DG, how have you saved your tomato seeds before? I've been reading up on seed saving lately and just scooped out my black prince seeds this morning. I'm going to try to ferment them. I actually tried this a few weeks ago and my husband promptly threw them out thinking it was one of my son's wierd things!

I usually squish them around in vinegar water in a strainer to get most of the pulp off. I've had good results like that, but I have some Cherokee Purples fermenting now. Worth a try, I guess.

Hmm - I've never heard of the vinegar thing. I always ferment the seeds - originally read the how-to in OG magazine years back...

Tom showed me how to do the ferment thing and it works great ! I did some of his Black Cherry "maters and after they dried I planted some and they are still bearing fruit now..... after they dry completely I put them in a baggie and then into the fridge... I understand they can be frozen also..... there was a good discussion abt. this awhile back on here, another GWer just washes the seeds with dish-detergent to remove the gel...? I think ??? maybe she can fill us in ??? sally

My mater seeds are just about done fermenting, and I must admit, they ARE very clean. I also saved some like my friend suggested, by just putting them onto a paper towel. You plant the entire towel, it rots, and the seeds sprout. I'll see which ones do best when I plant them. I'm going to clean and dry the fermented ones today, put them and the paper towel in the freezer until time to plant.

When do you plan to plant them? I save tomato seed in coffee filters. Spread the goo & seeds around and let it dry. Write the tomato name on the coffee filter. Once it is good and dry, a few weeks or so; then I just file the coffee filter in my seed box until time I want to plant some. I'm sure this isn't the best for long term seed storage, but it works for season to season at least.

~dianne

Dianne, what a great idea! I don't know when I'll plant. If I can get a community garden plot, I'll plant in August, if not, might stick them in the freezer and wait until next year.