How to Save Tomato Seeds

Learn how to save tomato seeds from open-pollinated tomato varieties with this easy guide.

By Staff
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by Stephen L. Garrett

Grow your best tomatoes ever with Epic Tomatoes (Storey Publishing, 2014) by Craig LeHoullier. LeHoullier shares decades of experience growing and developing tomato varieties, with practical information as well as the stories and histories behind many tomatoes. Beautiful, full-color photos illustrate this comprehensive guide to successful tomato cultivation, from sowing to seed-saving. The following excerpt is from chapter 6, “Saving for the Future.”

You can purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store: Epic Tomatoes.


Saving Seeds

The best time to save seeds from your open-pollinated tomato varieties is when the first tomatoes ripen. I use the first ripe tomatoes for seed saving to reduce the chances that the bees will have worked the flowers and cross-pollinated the seed in the tomato.

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