wtgxi, garbage bags are a great idea! We can also use them to hold the bottles, cans, etc. that can be recycled (I will take them home with me - Balto. County picks them up every other week. To tell you the truth, it looks like we've pretty much got everything that we need.

Shutterbugsyl, you are right to be concerned; I grow a lot of tomatoes from seed swaps, and crosses are a frequent problem. You are thinking ahead - which is good on you! There is a difference between those who save seed strictly for their own use... and those who intend to share with others, who should take extra precautions to ensure purity. Remy's link is one of the better ones on GW, since it covers all the bases - with illustrations. If you are growing large numbers of tomatoes in close proximity & saving seed, blossom bagging is your best option. You only need to bag one or two clusters per plant (or per variety), and Remay or Agribon floating row cover is easy & economical for this purpose. When the tomatoes begin to enlarge within the bag: (1) Check for holes in the bag caused by insects; if you find one, do not save seed from that cluster. (2) Pinch off any remaining flowers or buds. (3) Mark the cluster with something that is bright and not easily removed (birds love string!). The marker should be easily visible when the tomatoes are full-grown, to avoid accidentally destroying the pure seed. Then harvest the marked tomatoes separately when ripe, and process the seed. Fermentation is the preferred method. There are many existing threads & FAQ's on this, just search for "tomato fermentation", or refer to the link below which discusses many aspects of saving tomato seed. Here is a link that might be useful: Saving tomato seeds

I received the seed box in the mail today!!! I haven't had a chance to go thru it this afternoon -- but I will tomorrow when I get home from work! I cant' wait to see what's in there :) Thanks to all the original members who participated in the tomato seed round robin -- ya'll were awesome :) Just to let everyone know -- we'll be starting round 2 soon and we'll be adding new members to the round robin. If you're interested, please check back on this message thread in a day or so and I'll get the details for the signups posted. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the 1st round! The round robin went so smoothly and was definitely a success! Judy

I use fermentation regardless of batch size. On the drying table right now are 30 little seeds from a variety I found growing by the road. It was one 2 inch round bright red globe - nearly perfectly round. I also just finished packing over 800 Cherokee Purple seeds from one batch. (Trudi!!!?? :>) -) I cut the larger tomatoes into thick slices and using the point of a very sharp knife, carefully cut the seed gel masses away from the meat of the fruit and into a strainer. The strainer is above a container which catches the juice. This allows me to put the remainder of the tomato into the dehydrator. The seeds which are still in the gel mass are then gently scrubbed against the screen of the strainer enough to break up the globs and catch more juice. Breaking up the globs like this, I feel gives the little "microbe critters" a head start, a thinner gel to dissolve, and a much better chance of getting their job done. I also think we have to stir the mixture often during fermentation to further help break up gel around the seeds. Several tap water rinses get rid of all the debris and a 4 to 1 water/bleach rinse followed by more rinsing until I don't smell the bleach finishes the chemistry part. I spread them on a paper plate (cheapest, flimsiest) and after 2 to 3 days take a credit card size piece of plastic and gently loosen the seeds that are still gently stuck to the plate. 2 more days and into small ziplocks and a coin envelope marked with the variety and the date saved. I don't think I care for the TSP or AJAX or Comet or other scouring cleaners. It's because I just don't like even the "possibility" of damaging the seed coat. Having said that, I DON'T KNOW that the grit WILL damage the seed coat, but until time proves differently, I choose to think the possibility is there. Good tomatoes are hard enough to grow. For me, damaged seed coats would be like starting the race with an unnecessary, self-imposed handicap.