When hobby gardeners harvest tomatoes, they also have valuable seeds in their hands. Given the sparse selection of varieties available in stores, it is all the more valuable. Find out all the important steps to turn tomato seeds into germinable seeds here.
How do I grow tomato seeds from tomatoes?
To grow tomato seeds from tomatoes, halve a fully ripe tomato, remove the seeds and pulp, fill both in a container with water, cover it with foil and keep it warm. After about two days of fermentation, the seeds and pulp separate. Rinse the seeds and dry them on paper towels.
pulp undesirable
Only harvest fully ripe fruits if you want to get tomato seeds from them. If you grow seed-resistant varieties, they offer the best chance of success for un altered offspring.
- halve the tomatoes with a sharp knife
- Spoon out the seeds along with the attached pulp
- fill into a container and pour lukewarm water over it
- cover with cling film and place in a warm, not full sunny place
- During the next two days, the fermentation process separates the pulp from the seeds
After completing the separation, pour the mixture into a sieve and rinse thoroughly with clear water. Now take a seed between two fingers and feel the rough seed coat. To dry, spread the tomato seeds on kitchen paper or a filter bag. The individual grains must not touch each other.
Proper storage preserves germination
After you have obtained your own seeds from tomatoes, there will still be a few months before sowing. Two factors play an important role in ensuring that the seeds survive this waiting period well: darkness and dryness. The following three storage options have proven to be excellent:
- in an opaque screw-top jar
- in small paper bags in the dry basement room
- Leave on the kitchen paper, fold and store in an airtight container
Whichever version you choose; Don't miss the clear labeling. When you start sowing on the windowsill or in the greenhouse next spring, you will be grateful for this proactive measure.
Storage up to five years
Since you harvest 30, 40 or more seeds from a single tomato, there is a lot of interest in shelf life. If you give the seeds a cool, dark and dry place to store them, they will remain viable for five years. For this reason, we recommend always adding the harvest year to the label.
Tips & Tricks
If you are not sure after a few years of storage whether the tomato seeds are still capable of germinating, carry out a germination test. Kitchen paper is spread out on a plate, a few seeds are scattered, moistened and covered with cling film. If at least half of the seed sample sprouts after a few days in a warm window seat, the seeds can still be used.
