Tomato Seeds

[Westi]

I've collected my KG1 seeds to share with you all. Had them in the bottle and now strained & drying off for 4 days. They still feel soft though, how long does it take for them to dry into hard seeds? They are really tiny seeds so was 5 days in the water too much? It took that long for the mouldy type stuff to appear on the top of the water.

I've got some more, should I do another batch with shorter time in the water or will the ones I got dry out or just let them dry without the bath? Do I need to put them somewhere warmer - just on the shelf in the kitchen, is it the damp weather? They look like little seeds but have a white edge to them as well as being soft, not squishy soft but not hard. (I can be so descriptive)!

Westi

[Primrose]

I don't know whether smaller tomato seeds need a shorter soaking time Westi but i treat all my saved Tom seeds in the same way,
Ie soak a little water for a maximum of 36 hours in a shallow dish.swirling them around well at the start. I do this on my kitchen shelf.
i then drain off virtually all the water as all the mucus seems to have separated off by then, just leaving enough to allow the flow of the seeds onto a sheet pf kitchen tissue where they dry out for 48 hours. Whilst the tissue is still moist i spread the seeds out to separate them over a small area.

Once they've dried I leave them permanently on the tissue foe storage rather than try to prise them off. The seeds harden & dey off within about 24 hours but a max of 48. At sowing time I simply snip off a piece of tissue and plant everything in the compost. The tissue just dissolves. i've never had any problems using this method and even small seeds from the smaller cherry tomatoes germinate well. I think five days was probably too long. The seeds may have started to rot. If you've still got tomatoes I'd try another batch for a shorter soak but try and ensure the tomatoes are as ripe as possible first otherwise the seed may be weak or not fully viable.

[Geoff]

I've never tried anything like this but if you have lots why not try germinating some of the dodgy looking ones?

[PLUMPUDDING]

They are probably still ok but I would save a few more to make sure.

I went on a seed saving course run by Real Seeds and they said to soak them until some dropped to the bottom then clean them in a sieve under running water. I ve left them for five days and had no problems. I always dry mine on a saucer on the windowsill so there's no dampness round them and leave them for a week or two before packeting them. Real Seeds said you can miss out the soaking and just stick the seeds individually on a piece of kitchen towel and leave them to dry in a sunny spot for a week or two if you like. Store them in a dry place and cut them off and plant them like Primrose does.

Have I missed something because I've not heard of KG1 tomatoes before. What made you choose them, is it blight resistance?

[Westi]

PP

It's my self sown tomato that seems to always survive the blight. Been coming up for years and this is the only one that I had this year after the early blight devastated all the others. I don't know the name of it, but these are I hope blight resistant being several generations now getting struck by blight but surviving, so I'm saving seed to share with you all to put it to the test, hence named it KG1.

Westi

[PLUMPUDDING]

That's interesting Westi. I save lots of different varieties but don't have a blight problem so don't know if any is more resistant than others. I grow most in the greenhouse but the outdoor ones still look ok.

[Primrose]

Whoh Ho ! i'm back onto the site. There were a few hours last night when I was locked out being told I was Forbidden Access for some reason. it made me feel I'd done something very naughty !

That's interesting Westi and quite possibly there is a generational inbuilt resistance to blight if all your others succumbed. I think this is something we still know very little about. When the time comes I wouldn't mind one or two seeds to experiment with if you can spare them . Are they bush tomatoes or cordons? I'mm a big tomato growing fan and interesting new varieties that seem to be blight resistant are always on my agenda.

[Geoff]

told I was Forbidden Access for some reason

Don't worry, it wasn't only you.

[Westi]

Ditto! Locked out as well.

Primrose thanks for the tip re: paper towel method, will try that. Might also try germinating what I have , probably enough light & warmth left to give it a go. Can report they are a little harder but still have a white rim.

Westi