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Growing Tomatoes

Seed saving from squirrel-munched tomatoes?

14 years ago

Maybe this is obvious, or has been discussed before, but...

Books that talk about seed saving say, "take your best, ripest tomato and... squeeze all the seeds into a jar". I'm thinking, that's the tomato I want to EAT! But what about if your best, ripest tomato one morning has a bite taken out of it by an evil squirrel (or other critter)? Isn't that a great candidate for seed saving? Or should I not save seed that has squirrel saliva in it? (eeww)

I want to save seeds for next year but I'm afraid my yield will be so low that I won't want to sacrifice any "good ones".

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Comments (8)

digdirt2
14 years ago
Assuming the tomato was ripe before the squirrel desecrated it ;) saving its seeds is fine. Just shows he had good taste and skipped over the hybrid tomatoes for a nice open-pollinated one. Hopefully he left you enough seeds. :^)

Dave
trudi_d
14 years ago
Most squirrels are healthy but some do carry rabies. I suspect there would be not transmission of the disease by contact with the tomato if the squirrel was rabid; but just to assuage your own concerns it might be best to toss that one one the compost heap. If it's truly rare and you feel a dire need to save its seeds I would do a sani-scrub. I'll paste in the link for the information...

Here is a link that might be useful: Sani-Scrub Tomato Saving Method.
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I think you are doing just fine. Nothing to worry about. The smaller seedlings may seedlings may possibly surprise you and catch up with the others after they are set out. Tomato plants grow like crazy once they are in the ground. Jim
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Yeah, I know, like I said I just didn't want to make a real mess cutting them open first. The few I have out in the garage that are ripe don't show any leathery lesions, so maybe I'll just eat those raw, or put through the Victorio before cooking, so I can save the seeds. These are one of the varieties that I didn't have good germination with from purchased seed this year so I figured I should save some, might have better luck - or at least a lot more seed to try. I poured the goo into an 8oz jelly glass and added a little water then covered with plastic wrap with a couple of holes, put the glass in a bowl in a dark corner by the the MW. Just ferment them like you do pickles? I've never saved tomato seeds, only peppers so haven't fermented before. I can try germinating a few next week after they've dried to see what happens. I thought I'd been really careful about not throwing tomatoes in the compost b/c of SWD (and when I pulled some plants with LB I bagged them), but I've got lots of seedlings coming up in the compost! DH hasn't turned it lately. I just can't think of any I might have thrown in the compost, so maybe these were from skins and seeds left in the icewater he threw in the compost after blanching tomatoes for salsa about 10 days ago? If they are, then the seeds CAN survive the blanching...
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Your best bet is to pick the fruit green before a frost and then ripen them in the house before collecting the seed for processing. If they've started to turn paler green at the blossom end, they should ripen successfully in the house in a single layer on the counter. The riper they are, the better in terms of seed being mature and viable. Some of the expert posters on the Growing Tomatoes forum suggested it, and I've saved seed that germinated fine from fruits ripened in this way before.
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Thanks everyone for all the input and advice! I wanted a lot of seeds because I hoped to offer them to the people on seed savers forum who donated seeds to a program with people who have profound disabilities where I work. These are probably a named tomato but I don't know the variety. The Swartzentruber Amish family I buy them from doesn't know the type. They just call it a low acid tomato and have been saving the seeds for "a long time". The plants produce an amazing yield of large to very large tomatoes. The fruit is meaty and most are round or oblong, rarely lumpy and excellent for slicing. They have good old fashioned flavor. I actually like the flavor of the brandywine and better yet, Cleota Pinks a little more, but these are very worthy tomatoes. From the road or vegetable stand I can't tell if the plants are potato leafed or not. I did save seeds from several nice tomatoes that weren't blanched. Instead of fermenting them the way I usually do, I placed them in a tupperware sandwich container with pinholes punched all through the lid (from different project). They got moldy!!!!!! Don't know if I'll have any to share or not. Might go buy a few more. They sell individually for .50 a piece. So.. that's the story behind the seeds! Linda Renee
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mulio
14 years ago
At the risk of mischka making something else I say out of context..

here's my recommendation
beastmaker
14 years ago
For some reason squirrels get lead poisoning around my garden. . .
trudi_d
14 years ago
There is absolutely no greater joy in the world for my dog than when I open up the kitchen door to let her out and she sees "The SQUIRREL!!!" Before I can finish saying 'Run him off!' she is down the steps and halfway across the yard chasing Mr. Squirrel as he runs along the top of the stockade fence.

Lizzy spends most of the year sitting alert in the garden, overseeing her world and protecting it from little grey interlopers. She is the hard working watch dog, forever protecting precious tomatoes from those who would threaten them as they grow.

Here is a link that might be useful:
catman529
14 years ago
Just shows he had good taste and skipped over the hybrid tomatoes for a nice open-pollinated one

LOL that is true.
cleo88
Original Author
14 years ago
My husband always laughs at me when I see the deer eating my hosta and I go out there and start screaming at them and shaking my housekeys.

This year, I am thinking of having a little pile of small rocks near the back door that I can wing at any animals that DARE to look at my precious heirlooms. :)
bcskye
14 years ago
Lizzy, may you live a long, happy, squirrel chasing life. LOL! I lost my little mole destroying ASD a year ago last fall and my deer chasing GSD last June. Got a 9 month old GSD in early December and know he will chase rabbits. Hoping he will pick up habits of my previous loves and help protect my garden.

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