How to grow tomatoes from saved seed
Save money by growing, not buying, next year's tomato plants. By Ann-Marie Powell
Tomatoes need to be encouraged to shed the soft gel surrounding its seed, which in the wild stops seed from germinating prematurely
● Scoop seed into a jar half filled with water, give it a stir, and then leave it somewhere warm.
● As the mixture sits warming, it will start to ferment. This breaks down the gel coating on the seed. The water will turn cloudy, mould may form on the surface of the water and it may smell nasty.
● Viable tomato seeds will sink to the bottom, but immature seed will float.
● Scoop out any immature seed and then rinse the good seed in a fine sieve.
● Leave the seed to dry on a china plate or saucer – don’t use kitchen paper, as you’ll never get the little seed unstuck. When dry, store the tomato seed in a labelled envelope and keep in the fridge or a cool place until you’re ready to sow.
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