Saving "manky" tomato seeds

[Primrose]

I've just realised that I've forgotten to save any seeds from my few Black Cherry tomatoes and the only few fruits I've got left are going "manky" and are only fit for the compost crock.

If I save the seed from them in this state will they still be OK to sow next Spring? I know tomatoes rot down and reseed themselves in compost heaps but wonder if the seeds will have rotted too far to be viable?

[alan refail]

Hi Primrose

No problem - save 'em. They'll be fine.

[Nature's Babe]

If they had blight it can survive in the seed Primrose so best not save. If no blight then probably ok just dry on kitchen paper, or if you want to do it properly ferment in water to clean them. I may try solarisation to clean up the soil when we get some sun, on the lookout for some large sheets of clear plastic now http://www.ehow.com/how_4037_solarize-soil.html

[John]

Hello NB
I had always thought that with tomato seed, blight from infected plants did not carry over to next season.
Any one else got ideas on this problem?

John

[alan refail]

If they had blight it can survive in the seed Primrose so best not save.

So far as I am aware, Phytophthora infestans, being a fungus not a virus, cannot be transmitted via the seeds. Go ahead and save.

See RHS, who should know!

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/pro ... 7#section4

[Nature's Babe]

I thought it didn't too, but then I read on a farm website that it could. Here it says use only disease free http://www.infonet-biovision.org/default/ct/85/pests then here it says ok http://gardening.about.com/od/totallyto ... tatoes.htm guess there are differing ideas on this. Another site says seed from diseased plants may not yield so well, so I guess its a case of pay your money and take your choice

[alan refail]

I would suggest trusting Royal Horticultural Society and not an East African website.

[peter]

It is worth remembering that if there are twelve possible answers to a simple question then a web search will bring back one hundred and twelve answers, of which one should use ones brain and trust the ones from people or organisations who have a good reputation to protect. E.g. RHS.

[alan refail]

Of course, Primrose's tomatoes did not have blight. So my first advice stands:

No problem - save 'em. They'll be fine.

[Primrose]

Thanks for all your contributions. No, my tomatoes weren't blighted. I've got them all ripening on trays everywhere and the Black Cherries have over-ripened, gone squashy, started to burst and ooze........

[alan refail]

Thanks for all your contributions. No, my tomatoes weren't blighted. I've got them all ripening on trays everywhere and the Black Cherries have over-ripened, gone squashy, started to burst and ooze........

That's just right for squeezing out the seeds and fermenting for a couple of days. They'll be a lot mankier after that, and lovely when washed and dried. I took some seed yesterday from Yellow Submarine and Black Plum.

[alan refail]

...now fermented, washed and drying off