Tomato seeds must be wet-processed for storage. This involves fermenting, washing, and then drying. Fermenting kills the organisms causing bacterial canker and any other seed-borne disease that might affect the next generation of plants.
–illustrations, Renée Qunital Daily
1. Squash a dead-ripe open-pollinated tomato into a glass or plastic tub. Or, squeeze out the seeds and gel of one and eat the remainder.
2. Add a small amount of water—as little as possible, because dilution may slow the fermentation or encourage premature sprouting.
3. Set the tomato brew someplace where you won’t forget about it and stir it once or twice a day for 3 to 4 days. Depending on the room temperature, the brew will start to bubble up in 2 to 3 days. It will also begin to smell and grow a layer of whitish mold. This is good.
4. On day 4 or 5, spoon or pour off the mold, pulp, and seeds that have risen to the top. Strain and rinse, then spread the remaining seeds on paper towels to dry. The seeds will be ready to store 2 to 3 weeks later.
Dan McMurray, of Wynndel, British Columbia, who has collected over 1,500 tomato seed varieties, used to store his seeds at room temperature in small plastic envelopes in small wooden boxes. Such conditions have been shown to produce better than 70 percent germination for up to 7 years and better than 50 percent a full decade later. In 2007, in search of better results, he began putting the
seeds into glass test tubes capped with rubber stoppers and labeled to indicate the tomato variety. These he stores in a freezer at about 0°F (the seeds can tolerate temperatures down to – 40°F). He patterned his method after one used at England’s Kew Gardens. Research has shown that with this method gardeners there get 100 percent germination from seeds dating back to the 1920s.
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