Sorry but the fact that your plants are having issues does not mean the soil in your bed is contaminated. First because the most common tomato diseases are airborne and second because the loose description of the symptoms you describe can have many different causes besides disease - nutrient deficiency being the most common. Granted there are seed-borne diseases and a couple of soil borne diseases too but they are more rare and tend to be very regional. So before you can determine if there is anything wrong with the soil itself you fist have to discover exactly what the problems with the plants are. Photos posted on the Tomato forum here would help but a local consult with your county extension service or at least one of their Master Gardeners would be more beneficial. Dave

I agree. I expect that seeds need to be inspected and put through germination and weed seed testing before you can put them on the market. I assume that you've already seen the attached link. Here is a link that might be useful: Click here

compost pete - did you send an email to the address I provided in the post? Because if you sent it to my GardenWeb email address I don't have access to that account right now. Please email me at catman529@gmail.com. I am interested in some of your seeds and would be glad to trade some IS for them.

Here is an easy way to ferment them. I generally start fermenting as soon as I start getting lots of ripe tomatoes, and do it periodically during the Summer, so I can avoid the "end of season rush" when it could be too cold. Harvest seeds from your tomatoes by cutting the tomatoes open and squeezing the seeds and gel into a plastic cup. Collect enough to fill the cup up to 1/3 full of seeds and gel. It can be less full, too, in which case use less water in the steps below. Mark the plastic cup with the name or variety of the seeds that are in it. Generally you will want to get seeds from several tomatoes on the same plants or from 2 or 3 plants of the same variety. Add tap water to the cup. I generally put 2 to 4 times as much water in the cup as I have seeds and gel. Set the cups in a moderately warm (but not hot) place. A workroom, a garage or outside. Most of the time you want the temperature between about 65 and 85 degrees. It is true that the cups may attract fruit flies and have some odor to them, but I don't generally notice the odor, so I have even done them inside in my laundry room or similar places. If you put them outside, keep them away from the wind, or places where they might spill. It is probably okay if they have a little sunlight on them, but not where they will get hours of bright sun every day. That might heat the water too much and sterilize your seeds. Let the cups sit from 3 to 7 days, depending on temperature. The cups may develop fungus inside the water and/or a scum on top. That is okay. You don't need to do anything with the cups while they are sitting and fermenting. After 3 to 7 days, stir the cups slightly, then give them 20 or 30 seconds for the seeds to settle towards the bottom. Pour off most of the liquid that is in the cup, taking care to try to avoid pouring off the seeds in the bottom. Run more (lukewarm or room temperature) tap water into the cup. Let the seeds settle again and pour off the liquid on top again. Repeat the adding water and pouring off process until the water runs clear and the seeds are clean. Then pour off ALL of the water if you can, again, making attempts to preserve the seeds in the bottom. Get a PAPER PLATE to put the seeds on (NOT plastic). Or maybe some very thick, strong paper towels. You want the paper plate to 'wick' the water away and let the tomato seeds dry within a few hours to a day or so, or the seeds may start to germinate. On the paper plate, mark the name of the tomato variety and the YEAR of the harvest. Pour the seeds remaining in the cup (after pouring off the liquid) onto the paper plate. Spread them around with your finger to avoid deep clumps (so they dry better). Set the seeds where they can air dry. You don't generally want to stack these plates on top of each other or they won't dry fast enough. Let the seeds dry for a week or two. Then take them and separate them off the plates, by rubbing them off, and putting them into little coin envelopes (with the variety name and year of harvest marked on the envelope), or if you are really lazy, put the paper plate with the seeds on it into a large plastic bag and seal it. Store them at room temperature, out of the heat and sun and cold, and away from all moisture. My seeds easily maintain good germination ability for 10 or 12 years when stored like this. This method seems complex, because I have described it in detail, but it is actually quite easy and produces professional quality seeds.