I will save the seeds and see if I can germinate them. What do you think? I figure it’s a minimal investment. Are tomato plants hard to grow from seed?<<<
Some will grow, that is why we buy the old varieties, so the seeds will grow again.
Not hard to grow, cover with about a quarter inch of potting mix, keep moist, but not wet, plant about 6 weeks to 2 months, before they will go out doors.
You can also root the tomato shoots in water and grow them over again.
A tomato that is cared for will produce for 2 years and longer for some plants, if not allowed to freeze or die from lack of water.
Maybe every one knows this, but it was a late discovery for me.
Next time you have a tomato plant branch to look at, note the hard bumps on it.........those are root nodes, they will root in water.
But when you plant a seedling in the next size pot, or ground, I dig a trench, with the trowel and put the root ball as deep as possible and leave the top 6 or 8 leaves above ground, then with compost or potting soil lining the hole, I top it with the topsoil.
Now the plant will send out roots along the underground stem, it may look like you lost a foot of growth, but you did not, you gained a foot of extra roots to feed the plant and now it will take off and grow like crazy.
My husband told me to look at this website. Do you know if it is necessary to ferment the seeds as follows:
http://gardening.about.com/od/totallytomatoes/ss/TomatoSeeds.htm
Here are the steps from another gardener:
The “proper” to save tomato seeds is a time-consuming process known as the Fermentation Process. It could be a little laborious and smelly. But it will provide you with a nice batch of premium, healthy seeds that can be stored for a long time or distributed. Note that the process could get a little smelly along the way… actually it smells a lot like dissolved yeast, which is not that bad. Here’s how you do i1t:
1. Cut the tomato fruit in half and scoop out the seeds along with the surrounding gelatin material into a sterilized container. Add a spoonful of water to it.
2. Seal the container with a piece of plastic foil and a rubber band, but poke a little hole on the surface with a toothpick for circulation.
3. Place the container in a warm location, like in a cupboard or in an unheated oven (providing it will not be used for a few days). This will help the seeds ferment. You might ask why do we want the tomato seeds to ferment? After all, it’s not like we’re brewing tomato beer... Well, the fermentation process helps break down the gooey liquid surrounding the seeds. It also kills any seed-borne bacteria that could reside on the seeds and damage the seedlings once they emerge.
4. Try to stir the yucky liquid at least once per day for mixture. Get a nose clip if you have to, and no you don’t have to look inside… When it seems that a good portion of the seeds have sunk to the bottom (usually takes 2-3 days), take off the plastic seal, stir, and carefully pour out the top part of the mixture, which contains empty seed cases and tomato tissues.
5. Add water to the remaining mixture, stir to wash, remove any floating dead seeds, and pour the whole thing through a sieve. Repeat this process a few times, and you’re left with an elite batch of home-saved seeds.
6. To dry the seeds, pour them on to a coffee filter and let them dry in a dry place for up to a week.
7. Once the seeds are completely dried, put them in a container for storage. Be sure to label the variety as well as the date it was saved to avoid confusion in the future. To cap the process, place the container in a cool, dry place.
And that’s it, the procedure for saving tomato seeds for years to come. The ability to save heirloom seeds is yet another economical advantage to growing heirloom tomatoes.