Planting toms from saved seed
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
I just got back from a two-day business trip to Barcelona, where I ate the most delicious tomato from a local supermarket. I saved three of the seeds and brought them back with me. Question: as I am drying them, they should be totally dry within the next couple of days. How long would I have to wait before replanting them? Could I get away with planting them this week, for example, or is that too early?
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alan refail
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Hi Barry
Just off the top of my head, you should be able to sow and grow them straight away. Every year tomatoes which fall off the plants in my polytunnel (and I'm too idle to pick up) will germinate in a warm November. So you could/should be OK. Having said that, you may not get exactly the delicious tomatoes you ate in Spain - may be an F1 variety, different growing conditions. On balance, though, I reckon you will be lucky. I have known people do what you're planning with great success.
Just off the top of my head, you should be able to sow and grow them straight away. Every year tomatoes which fall off the plants in my polytunnel (and I'm too idle to pick up) will germinate in a warm November. So you could/should be OK. Having said that, you may not get exactly the delicious tomatoes you ate in Spain - may be an F1 variety, different growing conditions. On balance, though, I reckon you will be lucky. I have known people do what you're planning with great success.
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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Primrose
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Barry, my guess is that you should be able to sow them virtually immediatel as these seeds do seem to be easy germinators, compared with some other vegetables. Last autumn I tossed a few wrinkled chopped tomatos onto the top of my compost heap which had a layer of turf on the top, upside down. Shortly afterwards, because of the mild weather I had hundreds of little tomato seedlings appear. As Alan says, the resultant fruits may be slightly different from the onces you tasted but its certainly worth an experiment. I sowed all my tomato seeds two days ago, to germinate on an indoor window sill.
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madasafish
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My compost heap always gets a few tomatoes in autumn from the stems.. And my garden then grows various tomato plants in mid summer.. including last year 2 hanging baskets.. (Gradeners Delight I think). The tomatoes tasted fine...
- in fact more flavourful than greenhouse grown probably because of the longer ripening season.
- in fact more flavourful than greenhouse grown probably because of the longer ripening season.-
Chantal
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An Indian lady I used to know always grew her tomatoes by taking one and squeezing it over a plant pot of compost.
She used to have fabulous crops.
She used to have fabulous crops.
Chantal
I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
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Primrose
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Well, if you don't get a decent crop off your three plants you certainly won't be able to complain that the seed wasn't fresh. I don't know why it is but self sown seed like this always seems to generate more healthy stronger plants that those grown out of a packet.
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alan refail
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Another comment on the vitality of tomato seeds.
I prepared a bed in the polytunnel a couple of weeks ago and added a good lot of compost, containing some of last year's tomato plants, which had been very hot with chicken manure last autumn and is now very well rotted. I sowed and watered a few days ago, and now have a quickly germinated crop of tomato seedlings.
They really are that easy to grow
Alan
I prepared a bed in the polytunnel a couple of weeks ago and added a good lot of compost, containing some of last year's tomato plants, which had been very hot with chicken manure last autumn and is now very well rotted. I sowed and watered a few days ago, and now have a quickly germinated crop of tomato seedlings.
They really are that easy to grow
Alan
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Hi Alan,
For the amount of plants I use now I pregerminate on top of my CH boiler between moist kitchen paper and as they show signs of germination I plant the seed direct into a 7cm square pot and it only takes a couple of days and then a further week and they show in the pot. They then go direct into the tunnel into my tunnel within a tunnel which is never allowed to fall below 10C. My tunnel within a tunnel is 12ft long and 3ft wide and is a converted plant bench with a 2" covering of expanded polystyrene and hoops made from blue water service pipe and covered with heavy duty clear polythene sheeting (same as the tunnel covering) and this is ventilated at the ends. Should a heavy frost be forecast then I put a felt blanket over the top. The heating is provided by a Parasene 2KW Electric heater. By using a blanket means that if my heater fails I do not lose everything.
JB.
For the amount of plants I use now I pregerminate on top of my CH boiler between moist kitchen paper and as they show signs of germination I plant the seed direct into a 7cm square pot and it only takes a couple of days and then a further week and they show in the pot. They then go direct into the tunnel into my tunnel within a tunnel which is never allowed to fall below 10C. My tunnel within a tunnel is 12ft long and 3ft wide and is a converted plant bench with a 2" covering of expanded polystyrene and hoops made from blue water service pipe and covered with heavy duty clear polythene sheeting (same as the tunnel covering) and this is ventilated at the ends. Should a heavy frost be forecast then I put a felt blanket over the top. The heating is provided by a Parasene 2KW Electric heater. By using a blanket means that if my heater fails I do not lose everything.
JB.