Ron Clark wrote:

You might save seed and get some tomatoes but they are unlikely
to breed true.

Caution: soapbox mode on:

Tomatoes are one of the best things for seed savers, because most varieties
do NOT readily cross-pollinate.
Having said that, I wouldn't bother with F1 hybrids, because you're not
likely to get something like the original. But open-pollinated types are
easy. One caveat: the older "potato leaved" types have more prominent
naughty bits and are more likely to snag a bit of the passing pollen. Most
others are pollinated before the flower even opens, and take real effort to
produce crosses.

Here's the easy way to produce masses of clean seed with little effort:

Take the pulp from a number of dead-ripe (or more!) tomatoes you want the
seeds from, and add an equal volume of water. Let it stand in a warm place
for a few days until it starts to ferment. Add lots of fresh water, swirl
the whole mess around, pouring off the pulp, etc. The good seeds will sink
to the bottom. When you've got them reasonably clean, spread the seeds out
in the big old strainer you bought for next to nothing at a garage sale (is
this a "boot sale" in British?) and let them dry. The fermentation breaks
down the gel coating and you'll get nice clean seeds that germinate well.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor with whatever other fermented products you
have on hand.

Cheers!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G