Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- garden:about:plants:tomatoes:seeds [2014/10/12 14:23] – [Reasons not to] davidbac
+++ garden:about:plants:tomatoes:seeds [2015/01/17 11:27] (current) – davidbac
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+===== Savings seeds =====
+I seldom save seeds from our vegetables. Exceptions are:
+  * [[garden:about:plants:beans:varieties|Beans (dry beans are easy to manage)]]
+  * [[garden:about:plants:corn|Corn (from flint corn which are dried and grown in isolation from other corn]])
+  * Leeks (once, anyway)
+  * One variety of tomato
+Of course, the seeds I do collect are from open-pollinated varieties.
+==== Selection ====
+I save seeds for only one variety of tomato. It is not commercially available, as far as I know. The main reason is that this variety, [[garden:about:plants:tomatoes:varieties#TPS Golden|TPS Golden tomato, mentioned elsewhere]], has shown unusual resistance to late season blight. It's a plus that this golden is a beautiful tomato (by shape and coloring) and it has most appealing flavors.
+I am selecting first for blight resistance, so I collect seeds from tomatoes on plants that have not been affected by blight and whose fruit has not been tainted. Other characteristics seem common to all the fruit, except I avoid collecting from the smallest tomatoes.
+Except in the hoop house I have isolated TPS Golden from other varieties to avoid possible cross-pollination. In the future I will scrupulously isolate the Goldens.
+==== Standard method ====
+{{ :garden:about:plants:tomatoes:seeds:img_1368_-_version_2.jpg?200|Tomato seeds and gel fermenting in water}}I use a method generally recommended by master gardeners, fermenting the seeds to separate them from the gel. This:
+  * helps sort out bad seeds (good seeds sink, bad ones float to the top)
+  * reduces some seed-borne illnesses
+  * eliminates a germination inhibitor
+Here's the procedure:
+  * Cut the tomato into several pieces
+  * Scoop out the seeds and gel into a small container
+  * Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and set the container aside, out of the sun, for 3 to 5 days.
+  * A moldy film forms on top. That’s okay.
+To separate the seeds:
+  * First carefully remove the film.
+  * Add more water and stir (good seeds have sunk)
+  * Carefully pour off the water and the floating bits of pulp (repeat until all the pulp is gone and you have clean seeds)
+  * Drain them as well as possible (using a paper towel helps)
+  * Spread them in a single layer on a screen or a paper plate to dry. (The medium needs to wicked away the moisture. Seeds tend to stick to a paper towel but don’t use a plastic or ceramic plate.)
+{{:garden:about:plants:tomatoes:seeds:img_1370_-_version_2.jpg?300 |Tomato seeds drying on a dehydrator screen and paper towel}}{{ :garden:about:plants:tomatoes:seeds:img_1371_-_version_2.jpg?180|Dried seeds in a paper envelope}}I leave the seeds to air dry for a couple of weeks. Then I put them into a paper envelope and store in a cool, dry, well ventilated place.
+==== Reasons not to ====
+I don't generally save seeds because:
+  * Most must stay planted long after I am preparing my garden for the next season
+  * Many are easily affected by cross-pollination with other varieties
+  * Some dry out only very slowly in the cloudy, humid conditions of fall and winter
+  * In most cases it is more trouble than it is worth
+  * Often plants gone to seeds are unsightly
+  * A variety of professionally grown, open pollinated seeds are available and relatively inexpensive
+Some of the above are reasons why I don't take locally saved seeds at a seed exchange. (I still remember the "turnip seeds" that were a really a mixture a radish and who knows what!)