To be able to enjoy your favorite tomato every year, you can dry the seeds from the tomatoes and get your own tomato seeds. In our instructions, we show you how to proceed correctly when harvesting seeds.
One often wonders why the tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) in the trade often taste of nothing more than a watery fruiting body. Anyone who remembers their childhood and grandma's aromatic tomatoes is not wallowing in unrealistic memories, but knows how tomatoes should actually taste. If you can call your own terrace, balcony or garden, growing delicious tomatoes is not a problem. The best thing to do is experiment with a few well-established varieties and taste them with family and friends. Once you have found your favorite variety(s), you naturally want to cultivate it the following year.
Win & dry tomato seeds yourself: instructions
If you want to get seeds, you can leave one or two tomatoes on the plant for a little longer. It is best to pick the fruit only when it is overripe. This guarantees that the seeds are fully formed. Such seeds are much more germinable and vital later on. Cut the tomato in half to remove the seeds. The slippery seeds are best laid out on a small piece of baking paper and left to dry thoroughly. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to laboriously remove the gelatinous mass from the seeds. Once this has dried, it protects the seed and ensures a good shelf life. The tomato seeds must be very well dried before they can be packed and stored over the winter.
The small, well-dried pieces of baking paper can be put in a suitable foil bag clip closure and then labeled with a water-insoluble pen (variety name and harvest year). If the seeds are hermetically sealed and stored in a dry, cool and dark place, you can sit back and relax. This is how tomato seeds last at least five years. However, you should not freeze the tomato seeds, as they are not used to cold temperatures.
Tip: Homegrown tomato seeds of an old variety are a great gift for all hobby gardeners!
Summary of tomato seed gain:
- Select and grow a seed resistant variety, not an F1 hybrid
- Harvest and halve overripe fruit
- Remove seeds with a spoon and spread on baking paper
- Allow tomato seeds to air dry
- Fill into bags, label and store in a cool, dry place for up to 5 years
Benefits of obtaining tomato seeds
Tomato seeds are very easy to harvest and dry yourself. Depending on the type of fruit, whether cocktail or beefsteak tomato, the number of seeds varies. Usually there are so many that you can get seeds for the next few years from a single fruit. Tomato seeds can germinate for about 5 years if they are stored in a dry and cool place. Compared to other types of vegetables, they are real late risers and germinate quite reliably even after a long time. A nutrient-reduced, air- and water-permeable potting soil, like ours Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil additionally supports the germination of the tomato seeds. Tomatoes are mostly self-pollinating, which guarantees that the same variety will emerge again next year.
Modern varieties often carry the designation F1 hybrid. These hybrids are purposeful crosses from two genetically different parents that bring disease resistance or high yields with them, for example. If the flowers of a hybrid strain are pollinated, there will be a wild mixing of the parent genes. The properties of the next generation will most likely differ from the F1 hybrid, true cultivar preservation is not possible here.
The biggest advantage of well-tried varieties is therefore seed authenticity. If a true seed variety pollinates itself, no new genes are rolled through, but the current combination of properties is retained. In this way, seeds for the next year can be obtained from the older varieties, which correspond exactly to the mother plant. This also saves you the cost of buying the seeds again, while increasing a variety that is perhaps decades old and preserving the great variety of tomato varieties.
Obtaining tomato seed: The advantages at a glance
- Easy removal and drying of the seeds
- Can be stored for up to 5 years if stored properly
- Own propagation of seed resistant varieties
- No costs for repurchase and preservation of cultural property
How to grow small tomato plants from the collected seeds next year, see our article on sow tomatoes.
