Below is a link for Saving Tomato seeds and also for winter soeing seeds.

http://wintersown.org/wseo1/2008_Tomatoes.html

http://wintersown.org/wseo1/YourChoiceTomatoSASE/Learn%20to%20Save%20Tomato%20Seeds%20300.pdf

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Saving Tomato Seeds

Thank you George!

T

Steve,

I watched your video on tomato seed saving. My comments:

You did not address whether the San Marzano from which you were saving seed is a hybrid or an open pollinated version. There are both. And there are issues with saving seed from hybrid tomatoes.

You indicated you were saving the seed from a "slightly smaller tomato" in hopes of getting smaller versions of San Marzano next season. All the seeds from the same plant will yield the same genetics regardless of the size of the individual tomato you took seeds from off that individual plant. Did the entire plant give smaller tomatoes than your other San Marzano plants?

You added quite a bit of water to the pulp from only one tomato. I'm thinking the fermentation wouldn't be complete in two or three days with that excess amount of added water. And if the pulp you poured into the strainer is any indication of the degree of fermentation, then my supposition is correct ... there was minimal decomposition. And in that case, you only separated the seed from the gel and didn't get the full anticeptic benefits of more advanced fermentation.

Personally, I prefer to follow any fermentation and initial rinsing and seed separation with an adequate bleach bath and final rinsing to ensure the death of pathogens on the seed coat.

There are also issues that should be addressed with regard to how long to air dry the seeds before storing, and materials appropriate for storage as well as temperature and humidity issues while in storage.

And we haven't even scratched the surface of methods to prevent stray seed issues when processing seed from many different tomato varieties.

Bill

Bill is correct. You cannot save a slightly smaller tomato and hope the seeds will produce smaller tomatoes. Using that logic, over time, you can turn a beefsteak into a cherry.

Bill, I'm not up on the San Marzano. You say there are both OP and hybrid? I'm aware of the "super" Marzano hybrid, but not the regular San Marzano. Maybe it's my ignorance.

Also, I don't agree with the bleach method, but that's personal preference.
A more complete method like drying, storage, etc. would have been helpful to noobs.

... also the info about rinsing the seeds in a deep bowl of clear water so you float off the non-viable seeds and collect those that sink to the bottom indicating viability.

There are several hybrid San Marzano types currently on the market both for commercial growers and home gardeners.

But more to the point, I was just commenting that any video with tomato seed saving instructions should include a simple clarification regarding saving open pollinated seed rather than F2 from hybrids. The point being, you wouldn't want an uninformed gardener to spend all that time starting seeds next spring and then be completely disappointed with unexpected results halfway thru the season when it's too late to replant.