Just how ripe should a tomato be if you want to save the seeds? Or does it matter?

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In my experience it matters.

Seeds are viable when you can see a blush at the blossom end. Ripened half way up is better, and ripened all the way up is even better.

And I say that b'c it's easier to process the seeds by fermentation when the flesh is softer, as it is the riper a fruit is.

Remember to save several fruits from one plant, better is several fruits from two plants and even better are many fruits from many plants. And that has to do with maintining genetic divsersity within the variety.

I know one person who saves viable seeds from grass green fruits but it's nothing I wiah to recommend to others and there really is no need to do so.

Most folks use several fruits from one plant or two and that works out pretty well for normal purposes.

The fact that your original purchsed Rutgers didn't have good germination could be due to many factors and isn't typical of the variety.

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn. (Good to see you back.) I'll save several batches of seeds from my Rutgers plants as you suggest, though I'll certainly end up with more seeds than I can plant for several years!

What I think is notable is if you save seeds from just one fruit, you have as many seeds as a gardener's packet of seeds that you order. Or more!

What I think is notable is if you save seeds from just one fruit, you have as many seeds as a gardener's packet of seeds that you order. Or more!

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Heaven's yes!!!!

Seed count varies greatly by variety. Cherry tomatoes and most larger round ones can have hundreds of seeds/fruit whereas something like Lillian's Yellow Heirloom or many paste types such as Opalka can have less than 20.

But again, I don't advise saving seeds from one fruit of a variety, as I discussed above.

Carolyn

Or more!! Yes indeed.

I also am happy to see you back Carolyn, hope that your recovery is going fine. I was pleasantly surprised to see you posting yesterday.

Anney, one little gob of seed and gel from one of those

I saved them because I want to start some more to put out about mid July for a fall crop. The

I have not got one ripe on the vine from this plant yet, both that I have got were laying on the ground under the plant, probably caused by my shaking the vine to help set little tomatoes. The first one did not taste very good, but the second one tasted very good to me, worth further evaluation.
Bill P.

My regards to Carolyn I wasn't aware you had been ill best of luck. :)

anney, I found a link for fermenting tomato seeds as recommended in some posts here. I think it's the best way to prepare seeds as it gets rid of diseases hope this helps.

Sandra

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato seed fermenting

Bill,

Boy, my sucker is smaller than yours, but it's coming along:

Rooting Rutgers

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The original that I took the sucker from is the plant on the left:

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My homemade Earthbuckets are doing their second year of duty, and I plant veggies in them that I want right by the kitchen door. determinate tomatoes, a couple of pepper plants, lettuce, and bush cukes. My entire deck is lined with them! That hole in the bucket is a perforated aeration tube (covered with a piece of nylon curtain!) that goes through the soil chamber, just above the wick. I don't think I'll construct the next ones this way but rather will drill several aeration holes just at the overflow hole level and let the aeration occur from the area between the water and the bottom of the soil chamber, see if that works as well. Nevertheless, these have worked just fine.

I wasn't having as much trouble understanding HOW to save the seeds as knowing the stage a tomato should reach for the seeds to be vigorous and viable. I'm sure I'll review the instructions again when the time comes though, so thanks.

That hole in the bucket is a perforated aeration tube (covered with a piece of nylon curtain!) that goes through the soil chamber, just above the wick. I don't think I'll construct the next ones this way but rather will drill several aeration holes just at the overflow hole level and let the aeration occur from the area between the water and the bottom of the soil chamber, see if that works as well. Nevertheless, these have worked just fine.

yeah, i didn't do the perforated tube thing this year. i just drilled a bunch more holes in the inside bucket, going mostly up the side, and made sure there were plenty of overflow holes in the outside bucket. i figure that provides a good amount of aeration all around the soil. my tomatoes seem to be doing pretty well.

Beautiful pictures and a healthy looking little cutting Anney.
Bill P.

My regards to Carolyn I wasn't aware you had been ill best of luck. :)

Folks, I haven't really been ill and this is all discussed at another place where I post.

In Dec of 2004 I fell and severed all four quad muscles in my right leg.

Last June I had a new left hip put in.

This May 9th I had a new right hip put in but the femur fractured when that was done. So I'm in a wheelchair, at home, no weight bearing on that right leg until mid-July, frustrated as can be and trying to remain calm in the face of pain and adversity.

That's the short version. Luckily for you folks I'm not giving you the long version. LOL

Carolyn

Don't you hate it when the warranty has expired on the parts, huh?

I am actually pretty stoked as I found a place in the next town, where my parents live, that carries a bunch of heirloom tomato plants. I had Bloody Butcher (which they carry) on my list for next year, and now I just have to buy a plant, which is less than the price of a pack of seeds, and I get the fruit to eat, and more seeds for less money. A good deal all in all. Sure hope they are nice HEALTHY plants because they have Persimmon tomatoes too, also on my list. A nice addition to my seed variety for next year, and to my addiction.

May HE bless you Carolyn and see you thorough. I am conversant with pain from a multitude of spinal problems etc. so I know that it is no fun. Whoever said that getting old ain't for sissies must have had some experience with it.

I am glad to see you able to post, many rely on your knowledge and expertiese regarding tomatoes. For instance, I had hoped that you would respond to the question in this thread. Basically your answer coincides with what I thought, but it is nice to have confirmation or validation. I could not see someone saving seed from a totally green tomato if they had a choice. They may reach a point where they are over ripe, but even then I would still save the seed if they were something that I wanted the seed from. That would be closer to what nature intended, as far as I am concerned.
Bill P.

Oh, Carolyn, best of good wishes heading your way.

Whenever I save seeds, I look early on for a tomato that has good size to it and "flag" it with a bit of cloth or something and it stays on the vine until it is fully ripe, then we pick it and take the seeds. (That way, DH knows which one he is NOT allowed to make BLT's from when I'm not home.) We haven't done this for a few years but I am hoping to try again this year with some Livingston Yellow Oxhearts, if they turn out to be good tomatoes (new-to-us variety.)

They may reach a point where they are over ripe, but even then I would still save the seed if they were something that I wanted the seed from. That would be closer to what nature intended, as far as I am concerned.
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Just like how the over ripe ones fall off the plant if you get behind in your picking and those make the volunteers you see the next year.