Saving tomato seeds

[Primrose]

Flicking through my seed packet box I seem to have spent a fortune on seed packets, many of which have only ever been half used because I have limited growing space. So can I save my Gardeners Delight seeds from this year's plants and will they produce true specimens next year?

[alan refail]

As Gardeners Delight is not an F1 hybrid, you should be fine saving seed from ripe fruit.

Some useful info on seed saving in general, including tomatoes:

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginstructions.doc

Alan

[Primrose]

Thanks. You have just saved me around £1.99 !

[Beryl]

I've sown the last of a packet of Gardeners Delight from 2004. and got 100% germination. Don't throw your seeds away. Always worth a try. You have nothing to loose.

Beryl.

[Tigger]

Some seeds don't like a long life - such as parsnips - but many don't suffer.

My philosophy is if you can afford to save them, you can afford to lose them. A bit like gambling, I suppose.

[madasafish]

I buy all my seeds on ebay - often 2 years out of date. I save a bout 60% on purchase price and germination is usually as normal.. except Impatiens - which is poor.
Tomatoes? Still using a 2004 packet!

[alan refail]

The general opinion is that tomato seeds will store for four years. In my experience, if they are stored well, they should last a lot longer and still give acceptable germination (just do a germination test, or sow more than you need - after all the seed has cost you nothing extra).
UK web-sites are very coy about giving life expectancy information (so as not to annoy the seed companies?) The Americans are more forthcoming. The following is a useful list - I reckon that you could add a year or two onto most of the figures:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/exte ... ble13.html

Alan

[Johnboy]

Hi Tigger,
I agree with your philosophy just so long as you are planting in modules or pots but to put Parsnip into the ground can be disastrous as by the time you have given them time to germinate, and they do not, you are really hopelessly behind.
I make my own little petri dishes from the bottom of plastic milk containers and do a trial germination between layers of moist kitchen paper and have a shelf above the solid fuel C/H boiler where most things germinate rapidly. If you do this you must check constantly to make sure that they are kept moist.
JB.

[cevenol jardin]

According to Jean Achard, a relatively famous French collector of tomatoes and peppers, tomato seeds will stay viable for at least 10 years.

but here's one for the record - the Seed of extinct date palm sprouts after 2,000 years - it is the oldest seed ever known to produce a viable young tree. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... D7G5T1.DTL