Topic: Obtaining tomato seeds from tomato fruit

[cambourne7]

HI Guys,

I have just lost the last of my newly planted tomatos to late blight.

This includes the 2 tomato red currant plants i bought at the BBC gardeners world show.

While it had been in the garden it had started to form fruit and i have got 4 from the plant which is just showing the signs of blight so i think they will be ok.

I need advice on how i now save these seeds so i can try growing some fruit next year?

Cambourne7 :'(

[redimp]

http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/beginner.html#anchor005

[cambourne7]

Great, i remember reading it on here i just wanted to make sure.

Do you think that the tomatos will be safe from the blight??

Cambourne7

[redimp]

I have one type that seems to have got blight but survived and is just in the process of developing fruit.  I have no idea what variety they are because I was given them.  If I do get fruit, I shall be saving the seed from these as they have some (mysterious because they had it and recovered) resistance to blight.  I assume yours are similar and have some resistance.  I do not think that blight is passed on through seeds but I may be wrong.

[Trevor_D]

I squeeze the seeds onto a piece of kitchen roll, pencil the name of the seed on the corner, let it dry out and store it in the cupboard for the winter. When you need to sow the seed, tear off bit of the roll with the seed on it & pop it into the compost. It's worked so far.

On the blight question, a lot of plants have (sort of) recovered; haven't a clue whether the seeds will be infected, because this has never happened before. (Normally, blight kills the entire crop within a couple of days, but that hasn't happened this year.)

I suspect the seed will be OK, because blight is something which attacks the flesh of the plant, but I'd welcome an informed opinion because I've got a lot of seeds to save as wel.

[RobinOfTheHood]

And does anyone know if tomatoes cross fertilise easily as I have 4 varieties in close proximity.  ???

[Robert_Brenchley]

They normally come true.

[saddad]

Most are self fertilising... some of the potato leaf varieties are a bit more likely to cross and wild toms like yellow currant will cross with all your normal varieties. Unless one of your four is a wild they will be fine. We grow up to 15 vars in the same ten foot polytunnel and they come true... the exception has been red peach which has lost it's furryness and we will start again from the seed library..
 :)

[Jeannine]

Trevor, re saving  your seed from from blighted toms.

Most of the foliage and quite a few of the systemic pathogens on tomatoes  can be seedborn, so the answer is yes, the disease can be carried over to next years crop by using these seeds.

However, preparing your seeds via the fermentation process lessens the presence of pathogens on the seed coat,as the fermentation kills them  which is why it is the preferred method as opposed to drying out without fermentation

Therefore you can cut the chances down considerably by saving your seeds in this way.

XX Jeannine

[cleo]

However, preparing your seeds via the fermentation process lessens the presence of pathogens on the seed coat,as the fermentation kills them  which is why it is the preferred method as opposed to drying out without fermentation

I just shove mine in some water and let them go mouldy ;D

[Trevor_D]

Thanks! Think I'll play safe & do it the slow but sure way this year! (To be honest, a couple of months ago I didn't think I'd have any tomatoes to be saving seed from, so I don't want to take any more chances.)

[saddad]

That is the fermentation process isn't it Cleo??????
 ???