Saving Tomato Seeds – The Endless Summer

2020 has brought a lot of sudden changes, but around here in Dawson County, Nebraska, the hot days of summer wasn’t one of them!

It seemed forever before we could safely plant out in our backyard garden.  Now here it is, coming into our second week of October, and the plants just won’t quit!  As much as I thought we might never get a taste of those sunshine warmed juicy heirloom tomatoes  – we are really about over them! One way I get over the guilt of “letting them go to waste” is by saving seeds from my favorites to guarantee I get the same fantastic flavors next year.

 

Tomatoes are the perfect gateway produce for a gardener to get started with their own seed saving. They don’t cross pollinate in the garden, so even those lovely hybrid tomatoes will come back true!  Here are a few easy steps to get a jump on gardening in the spring, and start letting go of 2020’s growing season.

1.   Get those ‘maters! Pick the ones that make your mouth water – and don’t worry, you only need the pulpy seed area. Even just the ones that slide onto the cutting board are enough to get you going again next year.

2.  Plop some of those pulp areas and juicy bits into a jar – mason jar, mayo jar, coffee cup, whatever!

3.  Cover the seeds with an inch or 3 of water, depending on the size of your container.

4.  A few days or up to a week. A white film will likely form on top, and start giving off the smell of an overripe tomato.

5.  Here’s where the magic happens! Just add more fresh water – give it a swirl like you’re panning for gold and watch all the good seed settle in the bottom of the jar! Now you slowly pour off the floaters and pulp. Repeat this process a few times making sure NOT to pour out your seeds.

6.  Transfer the clean seeds to a paper towel to dry out for a few days before storing in labeled envelopes for the next growing season.

Easy Peasy!

Now you have seeds no matter what the future holds in the garden departments next year, and your garden will be a little more your own than ever before.

If you aren’t yet a gardener but would be if you just had more space – give me a call, and I can help you find the perfect plot. We can probably even get you the house to go along with it. 😉