Saving Tomato Seeds Easily

Saving Tomato Seeds Easily

You've found a delicous tomato that you really like, the perfect taste and a great producing plant, and now you want to save the seeds and grow them again next season.... and it's a really easy process!

Often we think to pull out the seeds and dry them on paper towels, but the seeds stick to the paper and it's hard to separate them all. They can also go rotten with this method because pulp also gets stuck to the paper towel.

The method below removes all the excess pulp and you are left with individually dried seeds, which store for longer and are super easy to plant again for the next season!

Step 1 - Simply remove your tomato seeds using a small spoon or a butter knife, place them in a small bowl, cover with water and then leave to soak in the water for 12-24 hours. Make sure you label the bowl if you are soaking more than 1 type of tomato (lesson learnt from a previous year haha!).

Step 2 - Drain your tomato seeds, with pulp included, into a small strainer. Under running water, gently rub the tomato seeds with your finger, until all the pulp is removed and you can see only the individual tomato seeds.

Step 3 - Lay your tomato seeds out on a plate or in a bowl and leave them to sit in a dry, warm place until fully dry (remember to keep the name of the tomato on each plate/bowl so you can identify them later!).
Drying usually takes a couple of weeks in Northland, but you can feel the seeds to make sure they are fully dry, before storing in a bag for next season.

You can see the difference between the wet and dry seeds in the bowl below...

Step 4 - Write the name of the tomato on the bag and store the bag in a dry, cool place, until next season, when you can grow your favourite tomatoes again!

I usually start seeding my tomatoes in August, so they are ready to plant out in Oct (Northland zone).

Most of all, have fun with your seed saving! ♥