How to Save and Store Heirloom Tomato Seeds

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By bjs1979
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Save and Store Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Learn how to save and store heirloom tomato seeds. Growing your own tomato plants from seed can be a delicious and rewarding experience! Unlike hybrids, heirloom vegetable plants will maintain the exact characteristics of the parent strain.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

An heirloom tomato
Knife
Plastic cup
Saran wrap

Step 1

Start with a fully grown heirloom tomato of your favorite variety. Allowing the tomato to ripen to maturity will help ensure it has healthy, robust seeds.
Step 2

Cut the tomato in half.
Step 3

Remove the tomato seeds and place them in a plastic cup. You can add a small amount of warm water to the cup. Do not worry about removing all the gel around the seeds, as this actually helps to protect them from disease during the fermenting process.
Step 4

Cover your cup of seed with plastic saran wrap and place it in a cool, dark place. Allow it to sit for about 3 days, making sure to uncover and stir the contents around each day.
Step 5

Add some warm water to the cup and stir it around. Remove any floating seeds and debris. If a seed floats, it's no good. Continue adding a small amount of water and pouring out the mixture until you have clean looking seeds in the bottom of your cup.
Step 6

Pour the seeds out of the cup onto a paper towel and place in a cool, dry spot. Let them dry for 2-3 days. You may want to gently move the seeds around during this process so they do not stick to the paper towel as they dry. You can also substitute wax paper in order to avoid this.
Step 7

Once your heirloom tomato seeds are dried, place them in a paper envelope. Putting them in the refrigerator or freezer will help to maximize their shelf life.