Saving tomato seed
 

Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my own
for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?

Thanks.
Baz

Saving tomato seed
 

HI Baz

Not sure if it's the right way - but what we always do is scoop out the
seeds and spread them on a piece of paper kitchen towel.
Leave the in the air to dry, write the variety alongside the seeds,
store until Spring!
Works for us g - has the benefit that if you buy some particularly
nice toms you can grow them yourself next year!

Adrian

Saving tomato seed
 

On Sep 15, 5:15*pm, Baz wrote:
Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, 2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my own
for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?

Thanks.
Baz

So long as they are NOT F1 hybrid you can. Wash and lay the seeds out
to dry on a bit of newspaper. Store in a paper bag somewhere dry.

Saving tomato seed
 

Baz wrote:

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?

Here's what I do, and it's a variation on what's done commercially:

Scoop the pulp and seeds out of the tomatoes and mix with an equal volume
of water; put in a jar for 2 or 3 days (if longer, some varieties may start
to sprout). The pulp will start to ferment, which helps break down the gel
around the seeds. Swirl the and shake the jar, then let stand a few
minutes. The good seeds will sink to the bottom. Pour off the pulp and
crud and add some water. Repeat a few times and you should have nothing
but clean seeds on the bottom. Spread these out in a fine sieve to dry; a
small fan speeds things up. You can break the dry seeds apart by rubbing
with your fingers.
The whole process takes very little actual work time, and you get nice
clean non-messy seeds. The fermentation is believed to at least discourage
some disease organisms.

--
Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Here is an informative link to saving seeds generally.

How To Save Seed

Saving tomato seed
 

Adrian Brentnall wrote in news:j4tbdj$ta5$1@dont-
email.me:

HI Baz

Not sure if it's the right way - but what we always do is scoop out the
seeds and spread them on a piece of paper kitchen towel.
Leave the in the air to dry, write the variety alongside the seeds,
store until Spring!
Works for us g - has the benefit that if you buy some particularly
nice toms you can grow them yourself next year!

Adrian

Thanks, Adrian,
I will be doing that today.

Baz

Saving tomato seed
 

"Baz" wrote in message
...
Adrian Brentnall wrote in
news:j4tbdj$ta5$1@dont-
email.me:

HI Baz

Not sure if it's the right way - but what we always do is scoop out the
seeds and spread them on a piece of paper kitchen towel.
Leave the in the air to dry, write the variety alongside the seeds,
store until Spring!
Works for us g - has the benefit that if you buy some particularly
nice toms you can grow them yourself next year!

Adrian

Thanks, Adrian,
I will be doing that today.

Baz

Has worked for us as well for the last couple of years when we found a very
nice tom. There doesn't seem to be any deterioration in the quality or
flavour from seeds taken from seed the following year either :-))

Mike

--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

Saving tomato seed
 

adam-alexander wrote in
:


Here is an informative link to saving seeds generally.

'How To Save Seed' (http://tinyurl.com/36xgsl)



Thanks for the link. Save a small fortune and give some away as well.

If it works as nicely as it appears to, I wonder how the lots of seed
companies survive! No wonder they have to charge a fortune for theirs.

Thanks again
Baz

Saving tomato seed
 

"Baz" wrote in message
...
adam-alexander wrote in
:


Here is an informative link to saving seeds generally.

'How To Save Seed' (http://tinyurl.com/36xgsl)



Thanks for the link. Save a small fortune and give some away as well.

If it works as nicely as it appears to, I wonder how the lots of seed
companies survive! No wonder they have to charge a fortune for theirs.

Thanks again
Baz

Same with us with Bay, Holly, Lily of the Valley and lots of shrubs and
hedge plants. Perhaps we should go into business and charge a fortune as
well.

Mike


--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

Saving tomato seed
 

"Baz" wrote .

Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my own
for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


You can save seed but as it's an F1 hybrid what you get won't be "Sweet
Million".
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Saving tomato seed
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote in
:

"Baz" wrote .

Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my
own for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


You can save seed but as it's an F1 hybrid what you get won't be
"Sweet Million".

Bob,
I checked and found them to be FNT Hybrid #6503 (whatever that means)

Baz

Saving tomato seed
 

"Baz" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote in

"Baz" wrote .

Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my
own for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


You can save seed but as it's an F1 hybrid what you get won't be
"Sweet Million".

I checked and found them to be FNT Hybrid #6503 (whatever that means)


All the UK suppliers, Marshalls, Unwins, Suttons, have it as an F1.
Marshalls seem to be the cheapest at £2.25 for 25 seeds.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Saving tomato seed
 

"Baz" wrote in message
...
Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my own
for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


I may be missing something but I thought that unless the tomatoes were self
fertile then fertilisation involved s e x.
Given that, you have to be in a very carefully controlled environment to
ensure that the fertilisation is from the same variety.
IIRC commercially they keep the plants in closed greenhouses to keep stray
pollinators away.
This of course assuming that fertilisation within the same variety will
breed true.
We have presumably all seen two brown eyed parents produce a blue eyed child
through a pairing of recessive genes.

I am assuming that F1 hybrids are a controlled cross between two specific
but different parent varieties.
So for a single attribute there will be two different parent gene pairs
(call them AA and BB) which gives you the F1 genotype of AB and so
fertilisation between these gives you the standard results from Mendelian
genetics i.e 1* AA, 2* AB, 1*BB.
Vastly complicated over a variety of genes but they will generally not breed
true for more than 50% of any one gene pair.
Now got myself deep into the mire of partially understood genetics from a
long time ago but I am assuming that breeding within a variety will produce
some variation due to different mixes of dominant and recessive genes but
breeding between varieties will produce a much greater variation.

Gnah!

Anyway I think that the seed suppliers stay in business because they can
give a greater guarantee that the seeds will produce what you expect than
the gathering of seeds from the wild.

Cheers

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Saving tomato seed
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote in news:9dh6jjFnb2U1
@mid.individual.net:

"Baz" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote in

"Baz" wrote .

Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save my
own for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


You can save seed but as it's an F1 hybrid what you get won't be
"Sweet Million".

I checked and found them to be FNT Hybrid #6503 (whatever that means)


All the UK suppliers, Marshalls, Unwins, Suttons, have it as an F1.
Marshalls seem to be the cheapest at £2.25 for 25 seeds.

Thanks, Bob
I will just have to keep on buying seeds. Not a big deal, but I spend a
small fortune on the veg. garden so any savings I can make I will try.

I will still try a few saved seeds and see what happens, who knows?

Thanks again
Baz

Saving tomato seed
 

"David WE Roberts" wrote in
:


"Baz" wrote in message
...
Due to neglect, most of my "Sweet Million" toms have split.
They are very expensive, £2.99 for 15 seeds so I would like to save
my own for next year.

How can I do this easily and without too much mess?


I may be missing something but I thought that unless the tomatoes were
self fertile then fertilisation involved s e x.
Given that, you have to be in a very carefully controlled environment
to ensure that the fertilisation is from the same variety.
IIRC commercially they keep the plants in closed greenhouses to keep
stray pollinators away.
This of course assuming that fertilisation within the same variety
will breed true.
We have presumably all seen two brown eyed parents produce a blue eyed
child through a pairing of recessive genes.

I am assuming that F1 hybrids are a controlled cross between two
specific but different parent varieties.
So for a single attribute there will be two different parent gene
pairs (call them AA and BB) which gives you the F1 genotype of AB and
so fertilisation between these gives you the standard results from
Mendelian genetics i.e 1* AA, 2* AB, 1*BB.
Vastly complicated over a variety of genes but they will generally not
breed true for more than 50% of any one gene pair.

I understood this when at school, but that was toooo many years ago.

Now got myself deep into the mire of partially understood genetics
from a long time ago but I am assuming that breeding within a variety
will produce some variation due to different mixes of dominant and
recessive genes but breeding between varieties will produce a much
greater variation.

Gnah!

Anyway I think that the seed suppliers stay in business because they
can give a greater guarantee that the seeds will produce what you
expect than the gathering of seeds from the wild.

Cheers

Dave R

Yes, but presumably a human would have to open the door to gain access to
this controlled unit, and at the same time an insect, or indeed anything
with pollen could enter this environment to contaminate it.

It is something I never understood and never asked.

Baz