This is a frequent discussion over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here not to mention on all the Exchange forums, and it depends on the trader and what their goals are so it is negotiated in advance. As long as your seeds are labeled properly as pure or OP then no one can complain. Most who trade actively, if the variety is of particular importance to them, will bag blooms, label their seed as such, and only accept those that were bagged and labeled as true/pure. Some traders don't care all that much and are willing to accept possible CP seeds as long as it is labeled as such - open pollinated. Where folks tend to get upset is if they are offered seeds labeled as a specific variety but NOT marked as open pollinated. If saving for yourself it is your choice. If heavily trading and high quality is a concern for you then bag blooms and ask for the same. Another issue in trading is if the seeds were disinfected or not and labeled as such. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - How to prevent cross pollination

Yes, you are missing a couple of steps that will ensure germination next year. Here's what I learned as a newbie to heirloom seed saving (as far as I know only tomatoes need this treatment). Green tomatoes are not ripe and therefore neither are the seeds. You need a tomato way past prime for viable fertile seeds. If you picked the green tomatoes and let them ripen inside the house, the seeds will still not be viable. Can you leave a tomato or two on the vine to hope that they turn red and mature? Are there any rotten ones on the ground you can collect seeds from? To dry tomato seeds to plant next year you will need to ferment them so that the nearly invisible coating is removed. Put seeds and the clear pulp from around them in a small cup. Add a little water and let them sit at room temp for 3 days. You will see scum on them. Rinse the seeds in a very fine sieve like you'd use for loose tea. Put the seeds back in the rinsed cup and pour in a little fresh water. Wait another 3 days. If you still see scum, repeat rinse steps for another 3 days until no more scum appears. Now lay them out on a sheet of paper towel and let them air dry for a few days. Scrape them off the paper towel and into a zippered sandwich bag, or snack bag. Make sure you label what is in the bag with the name of the heirloom tomato along with the date. To make sure the seeds stay dry, make a packet by stapling a small piece of paper towel filled with some instant powdered milk. Put the stapled packet in the bag with the seeds. Any moisture will be absorbed by the milk powder not the seeds. Store the seed bags at room temp someplace dark. It takes more time to type the instructions than it does to actually do it. Nancy the nancedar - who has more than 100 little seed bags waiting for next year.

Hi Susan, A tomato is ripe for seed saving when it is ripe to eat. (Some things must be over ripe, eggplant and cucumbers are examples of that.) It is best to wait until a tomato is fully ripe to save seeds. A bit over ripe is fine. If really under ripe, you will get no viable seed. If a bit under ripe, you may not get as many good seed, but will still get some that are usable. It is easiest to think of the fruit as a womb, and waiting for the seeds is like a pregnancy. You want to go full term for the healthiest babies. Tomato crossing rates are very low. It does happen though. So it is best to save seed from multiple fruit. The chances of all the fruit being crossed is very low so you know you'll have true seed. Hope this helps, Remy

Oh, the roma tomatoes I'm not interested in - I only bought them because I needed ripe tomatoes for my salad - lol. I think the other four are all the same - at least i would assume so. I turned one of the ribbed ones upside-down to show it's blossom end. They ripen up really fast - they're mostly ripe when they hit the store anyhow. And I would NOT pay $4 a pound for tomatoes! I ate one of the tomatoes today, between lunch and dinner - and I forgot to save seeds, haha. Oh well, next one! Interestingly, I first thought of costoluto genovese too, when I first saw them - but that was because I'd just been reading about them and thinking of getting seed off ebay. hmm... edit to say I just looked up pics of c. genovese, and whatever I have looks just like it, except the seed/gel cavities in mine are much, much smaller. Maybe just the strain. Love their sweet/tangy taste, so I'll be trying my own saved seeds on this one. This post was edited by coatfetish on Tue, Apr 9, 13 at 21:21