by Many of us have favorite tomatoes that we grow every year. And if they are not hybrids, then it makes sense to prepare the seeds yourself. Firstly, it is quite simple, and secondly, next year you will not have to waste time looking for the necessary seeds.
Experienced gardeners have noted more than once that tomatoes grown from their own seeds are initially well adapted to the local climate and soil of a particular plot. In addition, year after year, selecting the best fruits for seeds, we carry out selection work and improve the variety.
To obtain high-quality and healthy seeds that will have a high germination rate, you need to know some of the features of their preparation. Of course, you can simply extract the seeds from a ripe tomato, spread them on a cloth and dry them. But in order to obtain healthy and strong seedlings next year, the seeds must ferment in their own juice, that is, ferment. As a result, the seed material is disinfected and the mucous membrane around the seed is destroyed, which will facilitate germination in the future. And if you add a biopreparation based on hay bacillus to the pulp, then the disinfection of the seeds is guaranteed.
Step 1
Select the largest and ripest tomatoes from the second and third clusters of the most powerful and productive bushes for seeds. Do not take seeds from excessively large and ugly fruits, which often grow from double flowers. The fruits should have clearly defined characteristics characteristic of a given variety.
If some bushes start to get sick, you can no longer take fruits from them for seeds.
It is better to pick tomatoes with the stalk, as they need to lie at room temperature for some time until the fruits become soft (7-14 days). How long tomatoes should lie before collecting seeds depends on their degree of ripeness and the structure of the fruit.
Step 2
Wash the fruits and dry them with a napkin or soft towel. Prepare a clean, dry container to collect the seeds. It is best to use glass or ceramic dishes. Cut off part of the tomato near the stalk and squeeze the juice with seeds into the prepared container. You can extract the seeds with a teaspoon, but it is most convenient to do this with your fingers.
From the tomatoes left over after harvesting the seeds, you can make ketchup, lecho or adjika.
Step 3
After extracting the seeds from all the prepared fruits, add a few drops of liquid Fitosporin-M or another preparation based on hay bacillus, which is suitable for soaking and disinfecting the seed material, to the container. This is especially important if some tomatoes in the greenhouse or on the bed have started to get sick. After all, it is known that the source of many tomato diseases are seeds. Hay bacillus will help to cope with the infection already at this stage, while the seed shell is soft.
Step 4
Write the name of the variety, cover the container with a napkin or a loose lid and place it for several days in a place protected from direct sunlight, since light has a detrimental effect on hay bacillus. Stir the pulp from time to time.
After 2-3 days, the pulp will separate, and bubbles and a thin film will appear on its surface. This means that the fermentation process is complete. The duration of fermentation depends on the room temperature: the warmer it is, the faster the fermentation. However, you should not keep the seeds in the pulp for more than three days – they can germinate and become unsuitable for sowing next year.
Step 5
Wash the seeds: pour water into the fermented mass and stir. The remains of the pulp and small seeds will rise to the surface. And the large good seeds will settle to the bottom. Carefully pour off everything that floats on top. Pour cold water again, stir and wait until the seeds settle to the bottom. Then drain the water. And do this until the water becomes clear.
Then strain the seeds through a sieve and rinse again under running water if necessary.
Place the wet seeds on a cloth and place them in a well-ventilated area, such as a windowsill. It is advisable to turn the seeds over while drying so that they do not stick together, otherwise it will be difficult to separate them later.
When the seeds are dry, put them in a paper bag and be sure to sign the variety name and year of collection. Such seeds no longer need to be disinfected before sowing.
Tomato seeds retain their germination capacity for approximately 5 years if they are stored in suitable conditions: in a cool, dark, dry place with good ventilation. The higher the temperature and humidity, the shorter the shelf life of the seeds. The optimal storage temperature for tomato seeds and other garden crops is about 15°C, humidity – up to 30%. And it is very important that these indicators do not change during the year.
