Here's a link to the How to Save Tomato Seeds FAQ from over on the Seed Saving forum. It should answer most all your questions.

If not, you may want to review some of these previous discussions for the tips and techniques used by many.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Save Tomato Seeds FAQ

Thanks Digdirt! The FAQ answered all of my questions. I love these forums.

One thing that might not be covered in the FAQ is to select fruit from your best plants. It is better to select less than perfect fruit from strong healthy plants than to select perfect fruit from weak sickly plants.

Good luck.

Randy

Randy,

I posted a selection question some time ago and was told,
"in theory" it did not matter what fruit or plant I selected to save seed.

I thought if I selected a healthy plant and a big, tasty fruit, I would tend to get better plants generation to generation BUT was told NO that is not the case.

I think selection makes a difference in the adaption department which takes hundreds of years.

John

"I posted a selection question some time ago and was told,
"in theory" it did not matter what fruit or plant I selected to save seed...."
On some things even experts disagree. You can do what you want and believe who you want to believe. I stand by my assertion.

To those proposing what you posted I say where would we be right now had Livingston followed your advice?

One last thing. Ask yourself what your goal is. Is it to maintain genetic diversity or is it to get the best performing plant adapted to your environment.

Good luck.

Randy

p.s. Thanks to Mike at Victory for the page linked to below. You can do more research on Livingston and should if you're interested in the history of tomatoes. BTW, the Paragon changed tomato history as did Livingston, and it didn't take him hundreds of years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Livingston (a short bio)

Here's a good read on a seed saving technique from Tom Wagner. With Tom's technique you don't need to ferment the seeds but I do ferment then use the TSP for the final cleaning. See the link below. Ami

Here is a link that might be useful: Tom Wagner's Seed Saving Technique

TSP ( trisodium phosphate) can do an excellent job but TSP is also very caustic and I wouldn't recommend it to those who process seeds where there are small children or pets that might be in the area.

Tom wrote that article almost 10 years ago and there are a couple of points to be made, I think.

First, while it's true that TSP can destroy any TMV on the surface of the seed as Tom said, there are many threads here at GW pointing out that TMV is no longer a problem for the home grower since the US tobacco industry switched to using TMV tolerant tobacco strains about 20 years ago.

Second, Tom says he can extract mature seeds from immature green tomatoes but I know quite a few folks who can't do so and I'm one of them. If there's a blush at the blossom end that works, but I think it's best to use more ripe tomatoes. Just my opinion.

There are also folks who use oxi=clean for seed extraction as well as some using dishwasher detergents such as Calgon.

As for myself, I still use a natural fermentation b'c I want to and I don't use a Clorox rinse and after saving seed from hundreds upon hundreds of different varieties for my listings in the SSE YEarbooks since about 1992 there's never been a problem with seedborne pathogens that I'm aware of.

Of course that also depends on where one gardens and whether Fusarium or Verticillium or any of the systemic bacterial pathogens are present.

So, there is no ONE BEST way to save seeds and each person has to find a method that appeals to them and that they feel is best for their own seed saving.

Carolyn

*Of course that also depends on where one gardens and whether Fusarium or Verticillium or any of the systemic bacterial pathogens are present.*

Is there a way to cleanse the seed from FW or VW? I gather then Carolyn ....the pathogen transfers to the seed?

I have always fermented the seeds for at least two days or until there is a good layer covering them.

Also , other than the milky residue from the stem, (I think you just soak the stem in water) is there a soil test to confirm?

Tom

There is a difference between selecting for a better plant year to year and selecting against an inferior plant. seed from OP varieties should produce identical plants, with the only difference being growing conditions, but there is the possibility of deleterious mutations being the cause of an inferior plant, and the possibility of the inferior plant being the result of cross polination (a hybrid).

So by selecting from the best fruit on the best plant you are upping your chances of keeping the status quo.