heirloom tomatoe seeds

otterpotter Cle Elum, WA(Zone 5b) Oct 26, 2004

i bought heirloom tomatoe plants this year and would like to save seeds for next year. does anyone know how i do it?
the plants are [that's were after last night's first frost] amish paste, stupic and russian krim.

Post #1112238

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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) Oct 26, 2004

Tomato seeds need to be fermented to take the gel coating off the seeds. It gets rid of a germination inhibitor and some soil borne pathenogens.

It's no big deal and I'd advise doing it.

The simple version (it's been discussed at length here at DG) is to squeeze the contents of several tomatoes onto a container. Let it sit for about 5 days...no stirring. It fill form a nasty looking mat of goop on the top of the contents. At the end of the time, pour off the goop and rinse your seeds in a sieve. Let dry for a few weeks before storing.

There is a search box at the top of this page. Type in 'fermentation' and tons of info will come up. Our own Carolyn Male (author of 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden) has written a detailed set of instructions that are very informational.