in "Seed to Seed" by Susan, i think her last name is Ashworth, said you shouldn't take your seed over about 90 degrees. she suggested a hair dryer with the heating element off. she also said to store your seed in a cool dry place.

WM

Why is there such a rush?

Just put the seeds on a labeled plate and stash them somewhere safe to dry, it usually takes less than a week.

No, I wouldn't use a dehydrator and neither would I use a hairdryer or anything else.

it's best to dump the seeds after fermentation or whatever you're doing onto a paper plate, not a coated one, spread the seeds around so they're in a single layer and let them dry SLOWLY out of the sun so you don't pull that much moisture out of them.

Perhaps the main reason why tomato seeds become non-viable is bc of seed dehydration, so rehydration is often needed when trying to wake up old seeds.

The only time you need to get moisture out of tomato seeds is when you want to store them in a freezer, which I don't think is reasonable anyway, and then you have to use silica gel to get the moisture level down to about 6-8%.

Carolyn

I don't mean to hijack, but kind of, sort of along the same lines as seed saving/drying, does a seed need to be fully fermented and dried before it can be replanted again, or can it be planted at some stage in between?

Right now I have some seeds that I just started fermenting yesterday, but as a late tomato experiment (and because I'm greedy and too impatient to wait until next year), I was hoping to try and start them soon. Can I plant them as soon as the gel is dissolved without drying them first?

Spaghetina, you can start them even sooner than that. You can take a seed right from a BLT and plant it. :) I have a couple dozen plants growing that are proof.

Thank you all. I guess I don't have to make things so complicated. Dr.Carolyn, I would not know when the seed hit 6-8% anyway so I would probobly have gone to zero and caused more problems than what is necessary by doing things the traditional way.

In response to spaghetina, there was an earlier thread where someone said they put their seeds in a strainer and used a rubber spatuala to push all the gel that surrounds the seeds off of them. I bought a beautiful Cherokee Purple at the Farmers Market last week for some BLT's and used the strainer method. I did this and I guess it took off the gel just fine becase after I let them soak in the water to ferment after four days all 52 seeds had germinated and I had to throw them all out. Iam not saying this method does not work just fine, it is just that it appears to me that this method allows one to skip the fermentation process. So the question for me is, "Do I take the gel off first or do I remove the gel through the traditional way through fermenting them.

I guess I have a new question then: Is the sole purpose of fermenting to remove the gel or are there other reasons, in addition to removing te gel, that one would need to ferment the seeds before storage?

Happy gardening,

Tom

Sux this is not a good method to use as I have a dehydrator too. :-\ I guess i'll just use it for veggies.

You don't have to ferment seeds to save. You can use TSP (Trisodiumphosphate) to clean your seeds and a weak chlorox solution to get rid of any pathogens the seed might contain. But I would definitely dry the the conventional way described above on a paper plate.

Here is a link that might be useful: I Don't Ferment Seeds

I think I like the process Tom Wagner has proposed here. Like I said I had an entire batch of Cherokee Purple germinate on me while I was trying to ferment them. In addition to not having to worry about my seeds germinating this process lets me do everything at one time, as opposed to doing it in stages over several days.

Thank you, miesenbacher

Tom

Avid Hiker - You have read Tom Wagner's method, now go to Wintersown.org and see Trudi's variation of that same method. Then, go to the link below and see my document (with pictures) on the basics of saving seeds by fermentation. I give you reasons for doing the various steps and how to know if you have done them right, AND what to do if you miss the target a bit.

Each of these methods is good to know. Then you can choose one to use, or modify one to become YOUR way. Each of us does this task slightly different.

Mike, a well known tomato grower out here sent me some seeds last year that he had saved by taking two toothpicks and holding down the seed gel with one, slid the other in a way that extracted the seed. Then he put them on a paper plate to dry. They germinated fine this year.

When you're all done looking at the other methods, think about what all of them have in common - Get the gel off the seeds and kill pathogens.

Ted

Here is a link that might be useful: Beginners Guide to Fermentation

Thank you Ted, I'll paste in the link below to the Sani-Scrub method.

At the link you'll see a graphic of 'Lil Scrubber', just click on her to advance to the next picture. The Sani-Scrub uses any common disinfecting powdered cleaner like Ajax or Comet--likely you've already got it under your sink. The method takes 35 minutes from start to finish and that includes a half-hour break while the seeds sit and soak, so, in truth, it's only a total of about five minutes (if that) in actual hands on work.

Regardless of what method you choose to clean your tomato seeds so they can be saved for your own use or for trading and sharing, the ultimate outcome will be the reduction or total elimination of any pathogens on the exterior of the seed.

Growing tomatoes from seed is a wonderful pastime that many people participate in, and because they enjoy it so much they share or trade their seeds with other gardeners across the country and even the globe too. We have an inherent responsibility to do everything we can to practice safe seed saving and to inspire other people to do the same.

T

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Clean Tomato Seeds

Tom, just to let you know I do use TSP, but after I ferment my seeds. So as Ted was saying we use variations of different methods that work for us. I found fermenting seeds, even up to 5 days will not always remove the gel from the seed. So the TSP made the gel removal a snap and I didn't need to do the chlorox thing as I had done the ferment. Different strokes for different folks even if they do use Ajax cleanser.:)

All this commentary on this has been very appreciated. I am going to have to get busy this year and really get serious about saving seed. My plants are so loaded that it will not be a problem to sacrifice a few tomatoes so I can have the seed on hand. I think it is a good idea to have seed of your own just in case some kind of disease wipes out enough commercial suppliers (for one reason or another) which makes it difficult to get seeds. My mom grew up on a farm and she told us stories how her family had to save seed from the current harvest for next season. During the depression this was even more important because they could not afford to buy seed from commercial suppliers. Plus, I think it would be great to be able to do this kind of thing just for the fun.

Thanks for all the info.

Tom

Last spring I germinated seeds from dried toms. for fun and had probably 70% germination. The dehydrator was set around 110 degrees and the tomato var. were Red Pear, Manyel, and Brandywine. Its free and easy to try. Do it on wet paper towel in a zip-lock and you will have quick results. You could freeze or treat seeds if you were worried about fungal diseases but it seems remote on toms that are thouroughly dried.

I know this is an old post but hey I'm an old farmer. To dry your seeds I recommend a little giant chicken incubator. Good temp control. For pathogens I have had a lot of luck using UV lights. Stir the seeds occasionally for a couple days. Use a low wattage incandescent, a florescent or a full spectrum LED is what I use. I get great results.

I'm old school. Ferment, water wash, spread and then dry on the paper plate for ~10 days at ambient. I do use the warmest room in the house. I do not post treat .... I am not in the seed business.

Shell

That's the way I used to do it Shell and it works just fine. I started using the egg incubator and UV after I lost a large batch of seeds due to mold. My fault. I just got in a hurry. I'm not a seed farmer but I sell the crap out of the end product. I haven't lost seeds since. Though I do sell the excess seeds. If you don't already have an incubator, I wouldn't recommend spending a hundred bucks on one. You can buy a lot of paper plates with cash to spare lol.

Warm, dry air, and patience. Not much more to it than that.