Save those tomato seeds!

[showmeoz]

Excellent! Eggplant are easy and no fermentation required. Allow the eggplant to ripen past eating stage, at least two weeks or longer. It will become soft and lose its luster when very ripe. Cut off the bottom third of the eggplant and cube or grate (cheese grater) it into a bowl. Add some water and squeeze the flesh until the seeds pop out. You could also use a food processor with a dough blade to break up the flesh and seperate the seeds, if you like. The seeds are very hard and slippery. Once out, rinse well and dry on a plate and store. Voila - eggplant seed, hundreds of them!

[Sarina]

Originally Posted by showmeoz

Excellent! Eggplant are easy and no fermentation required. Allow the eggplant to ripen past eating stage, at least two weeks or longer. It will become soft and lose its luster when very ripe. Cut off the bottom third of the eggplant and cube or grate (cheese grater) it into a bowl. Add some water and squeeze the flesh until the seeds pop out. You could also use a food processor with a dough blade to break up the flesh and seperate the seeds, if you like. The seeds are very hard and slippery. Once out, rinse well and dry on a plate and store. Voila - eggplant seed, hundreds of them!

Muchas gracias! I'm excited to try it out!

[tomatohaney]

I started saving seeds a few years ago, mostly tomato seeds. Now i have more seeds than i know what to do with. This spring im attempting to grow some f2 campari tomatoes, not expecting much though, since it needs a low stress environment.

[Roadrunner]

I don't save tomato seeds, per se; I take a few tomatoes that have been "violated" or otherwise undesireable and leave them on the ground. I still have tomatoes on the vine from volunteers and currently dehydrating one in the oven.

[TheLibertyBelle]

I grow many of my tomatoes from my own saved seed every year, as it's so easy. This year I decided to try to save Thai Long Purple aubergine seeds. I selected two of the best and left them on the plant, waiting until they turned a beautiful golden yellow. After I picked them, I had planned on harvesting the seed within the week, but somehow didn't get around to it until just a couple of days ago (almost three months after I picked them!). They were still gorgeous yellow, not rotted or mushy at all. But when I opened them up, I found that most all of the seeds had already sprouted inside the fruit, complete with leaves. I managed to find about two dozen seeds that hadn't started to sprout yet, but hopefully they will when I start my seed trays next month. Wish me luck.

[RBud]

I'm trying to cross two types of tomatoes and save the seeds. I understand that you can stablize a cross by planting them for several years. Anyone have any experience doing this type of thing?

[whiteside]

Originally Posted by RBud

I'm trying to cross two types of tomatoes and save the seeds. I understand that you can stablize a cross by planting them for several years. Anyone have any experience doing this type of thing?

Well, I have to say that this is a pretty heavy question. But... let's dig in.

Tomatoes are basic inbreeders, meaning that they generally self-pollinate. I'm assuming you've done your research and know how to emasculate a tomato flower to accomplish your initial cross. The seeds saved from this tomato will produce an F1 hybrid. Yes, that's right. Just like the ones you buy at the store. When planted, you'll notice that they are exceptionally uniform. Seeds saved from these tomatoes will produce an F2 (or second filial). When you grow out the F2, you'll notice that they are not uniform at all. This is when you can start your selection process. Now it is important to be absolutely MERCILESS in your culling. Stabilization takes many generations to produce a uniform open-pollinated plant. Harvest tomatoes ONLY from the plants that behave the way you want them to. The F3 generation is the real test. Continue your merciless selection and culling for as many generations as it takes to get every seed planted to be uniform. Growing as many plants as possible in every generation (20+) will help you accomplish your goal sooner.

If you have any questions about techniques just ask. Plenty of knowledgeable people on this forum. You can always message me privately as well.

Good luck.