Fermenting tomato seeds

Ok - so I've always grown Tess Landrace currant tomatoes outdoors and saved the seed every year by just drying them.
But this year I've decided to try the fermentation process - and I'm finding that they seem to sprout in as little as 4 days of sitting in the glass jar! I've just tipped a load out to dry and at least half of them 'appear' to have sprouted. I say appear because I'm not sure whether it's maybe some sort of appendage of the seed which is swollen and giving the appearance of sprouting or whether they are just very keen to get going!!
So I'm going to pick off the last of them and just do the usual let them dry out into a sticky mess thing - but I'm interested as to other peoples experiences with saving seed like this. I've done a search but it didn't throw up any results for fermenting seeds so apologies if there is already a thread.

Btw - Tess landrace are an amazing tomato to grow!! Perform well even in rubbish summers, not bothered by blight and kids love the little 'tomberries'

 

Hi Susieshoe, welcome to the forum

Forgive me if I have misunderstood but surely by putting the seeds into a glass jar you are starting them into growth again!!

Val

 

Well I believe the fermentation process is used to get rid of the sticky covering on tomato seeds ........ If you google it, it would appear to be a widely used method of saving seed!!! However, in my case it doesn't seem to work!!!!

 

Sounds like your seeds are germinating!!

Val

 

This happens rarely, but has happened to a couple of us this year. I don't entirely trust picking out the sprouting seeds and keeping the rest as they may have already started the germination process, just not got to actually sending out a root.

So I fermented the seeds from another tomato, cut down the time immersed and made a note on the first lot so I can check if there's any germination problem next year. I would check before, I don't have enough seeds of the variety that caused the problem so can't afford to waste any on a test.



http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/2013-tomato-growing.48555/page-78#post-733161

 

I only ferment them for three days Susieshoe and haven't had any sprout.

 

Thanks folks. I've decided to go back to my old ways and now have the last of my toms squished and drying out on the windowsill

 

I think I'm missing something here, why are you fermenting tom seed that you intend keeping for the following year?

 

I like this Lady's T Shirt

 

Why do they make life so difficult, Tomate oos, have survived for thousands of years without someone waiting for the chance to strain off the "funky" stuff.
Just dry em out and scrape the seeds off a saucer, for god sake.!!!!!

 

I was wondering how to type tom ate oos too

 

Lol!! Give them a perfectly good language and they mess it up!!

 

"Why do they make life so difficult, Tomate oos, have survived for thousands of years without someone waiting for the chance to strain off the "funky" stuff.
Just dry em out and scrape the seeds off a saucer, for god sake.!!!!!"

Possibly because nature is cleverer than you think. That "funky stuff" contains a germination retardant to stop the seeds germinating prematurely. By washing it off you will get a higher germination rate compared to simply drying the seed with all the gunk left on.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

Good opening post

 

Tomato seed is one of the most reliable germinating seed there is, it also keeps for a very long time without losing viability.