With the last of the glorious, sweet summer tomatoes gracing our salad bowls, it’s time to save the seeds of our favourite types.
If possible, save seed from the best-looking fruit on the healthiest plant. There are two simple methods for saving the seeds: the simplest “if I don’t do it now I won’t get around to it” method is to squeeze a very ripe fruit onto a piece of paper towel and let it dry. Write the name of the variety and the date on the paper towel, pop it in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge.
Squeeze the seeds onto a piece of paper towel
Spread the seeds out and let them dry
The second method is suited to longer-term storage of seed and involves fermentation. Squeeze seeds and jelly from a very ripe tomato into a jar then leave it for a few days. The fermentation that occurs, causing a foamy “head” on the surface of the jelly-seed mix, helps with disease resistance. Rinse and dry the seeds then store them in a labelled bag or envelope in the fridge.
Tomato seed properly cleaned and dried can last up to nine years
Because tomatoes are self-pollinating, you can be fairly confident that the next generation will be “true to type” – that is, the fruit resulting from the seed you’ve collected will have the same qualities as the original fruit.