I have never tried to save tomato seeds before. How do I do it? Do I take a ripe fine specimen and cut it open, then remove the seeds?

Or do I let the specimen dry up completely.
My gut is telling me the first way is the way to do it... but I'm sure I'm not the only one needing advice on saving seeds.

PS I've got an entire cup of seeds from my pumpkins...

Go to Victory Seeds.com.complete info on saving seeds.Not recomended to save Hybred seeds.
Edd from the Hudson Valley,NY

Want to make a correction.Web site should read
www.victoryseeds.com. EDD Hudson Valley NY.

This was from a short presentation I made in my recent Louisiana Master Gardener Class. Maybe it will help.

HOW TO SAVE TOMATO SEEDS


1. Basic information (all you really need to know):

To save seed, scoop out the gelatinous seed mass and place in a small plastic cup. Cover the mass with an equal amount of water, and place in a dry area, out of direct sunlight. In about five days, a moldy scum will form atop the liquid, with unusuable seeds floating within. Good seeds sink to the bottom.

Rinse the good seeds and spread them on a screen to dry for a week. Two weeks is even better.

2. More detail than you really wanted:

(From Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, by Suzanne Ashworth, Seed Savers Exchange, Inc., Decorah, Iowa, 2002, pp. 155, 157-8)

…The extent of cross-pollination in tomatoes has been a controversy among seed savers for a long time. Some say that crossing is rampant, while others have reportedly never seen crossing after years of growing different varieties next to one another…

Tomatoes used for paste and slicing are particularly easy for seed saving. The seeds can be saved and the fruit can be eaten or processed without any waste. Pick and wash fully ripe tomatoes, and then cut the fruits across the middle, not through the stem and blossom ends. This exposes the large seed cavities and makes the seeds accessible without mashing the fruit. Now squeeze the seeds and surrounding gel into a bowl or bucket.

…Each tomato seed is enclosed in a gelatinous sack. The gel in these sacks contain chemicals that inhibit seed germination, which prevents the sees from sprouting inside the wet flesh of the tomato. In nature the ripe tomatoes fall from the plant and slowly rot. The rotting away of the fruits is a natural fermentation process during which the gel sacks are destroyed. Eventually the fruits totally rot away leaving the seeds on the surface of the soil, ready to germinate when conditions are right.

Artificially duplicating the tomato fruit’s fermentation process is not difficult. In addition to removing the gel sack, fermentation also kills many seed-borne tomato diseases. The container of tomato seeds and gel should be set aside to ferment for one to three days. Fermentation will proceed more quickly as the daytime temperatures increase.

During this period, the container of seeds will begin to stink and will become covered with a layer of white or gray mold. Because of the horrible smell, do not keep the bowl in the house or where it might be tipped over by animals or children. The fermentation process should be stopped when the layer of mold completely covers its surface. Be sure to monitor the process closely, because, if allowed to continue too long, the seeds will begin to germinate in the mixture.

Add enough water to double the mixture and then stir it vigorously. The good seeds will settle to the bottom of the container, allowing the mold and debris and hollow seeds to be poured off. Add more water and repeat the process until only clean seeds remain.

Some growers prefer to pour the entire contents of the container into a strainer, without adding any water, and then wash under running water. Make a fist and use the fronts of your fingers to rub the mold and softened debris through the screen. Wipe the bottom of the strainer on a towel to remove as much moisture as possible and dump the seeds out on a glass or ceramic dish to dry. Do not attempt to dry the seeds on soft paper or cloth or non-rigid plastic, as it is extremely difficult to remove the seeds from these surfaces. Coffee filters, which are inexpensive to purchase, reportedly work well and tend to wick the moisture away from the seeds during drying.

To ensure even drying and to prevent the seeds from bunching together, stir at least twice a day. Never dry seeds in direct sunlight or in an over. Tomato seeds will begin to germinate if not dried quickly. In hot humid weather, a fan will help speed the drying process.

Tomato seeds will remain viable for 4-10 years depending on the variety and storage conditions. Completely dried seeds should be sealed in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dry area or frozen for long-term storage.

I'm no expert. This worked for me:

A couple of years ago I saved seeds from yellow pear tomatoes by spreading the goo on a paper towel, let it dry a little, then put it in a ziploc and kept it in the freezer all winter. The next spring I just cut around the seed with scissors, still attached to a bit of paper towel, and planted that. It did fine.