Tomato Seed - Air Drying
How to Save Tomato Seed - The Air Drying Method
Saving your own tomato seed is an easy thing to do and will save you the cost of buying expensive seed the following year. There are a couple of methods that you can try. In this article we will go through how to air dry tomato seed which you can then sow next spring. (If you want your seeds to last longer, fermented tomato seed tends to be viable for about 3 years - check out our article on fermenting tomato seeds here).
You cannot save F1 tomato seeds and get the same tomato next year, it will be some variation on one of its parents so will be a complete surprise on how it will turn out!
Step 1
Choose a number of ripe tomatoes that you want to save your seed from. To ensure the seed is fully mature pick tomatoes that have gone squishy and ones you probably wouldn't want to eat.
Step 2
Cut the tomatoes in half to expose the seeds.
Step 3
Squeeze the seeds out of the tomato halves, or scoop them out with a spoon and place them on a piece of paper towel. Alternatively place them onto coffee filter paper as the seeds are less likely to stick to this. Spread the seeds out and allow them to dry fully. Once fully dried they can be stored to sow next spring.
Step 4
The seeds should be stored in a paper envelope. We have used seed envelopes but any paper envelope will suffice. Label the envelope with the type of seed you're storing and the date collected.
You must ensure the seeds are fully dried before storing them away otherwise the seeds will go mouldy and will not germinate.
For more tips on how to collect and store seed read our article on collecting and storing seed here.
