Save tomato seed from a healthy, fully ripe fruit Bed & Balcony · Care observation sheet · 2026-10-25 This task starts with a ripe fruit from the one-tomato container plan. Seed saving preserves a recorded seed lot, not a guaranteed copy of any parent. It does not certify the seed as disease-free or prescribe bleach or hot-water treatment. OBSERVATIONS Cultivar, OP/F1/unknown status and saving goal: ____________________________________________________________ Parent pot, health history and selected ripe fruit: ____________________________________________________________ Wet-process start and actual room conditions: ____________________________________________________________ Daily settling, pulp removal and rinse finish: ____________________________________________________________ Drying surface, dry/packed date and packet label: ____________________________________________________________ Storage location and next-season germination result: ____________________________________________________________ CHECKS If the variety label confirms open-pollinated seed and the parent has been healthy: Select a ripe fruit with the variety's expected shape and size. Keep this variety separate throughout processing. Tomatoes mostly self-pollinate, but a saved lot still needs accurate labeling and cannot be promised identical to its parent. If the label says f1/hybrid, or the variety is unknown: Use purchased seed if retaining the named variety's predictable traits is the goal. You may keep an experimental lot, but mark the uncertainty: offspring can differ in plant size, fruit and other traits. Do not relabel it as a stable new supply of the parent variety. If the parent has suspected infectious disease or the fruit is rotten: Do not use it as this seed-saving lot. Healthy appearance alone cannot rule out seed-borne infection. A short fermentation is a pulp-removal step, not proof that contaminated seed has become safe to sow. ACTION CHECKLIST [ ] 1. Identify and start a small batch Label a clean container with cultivar, parent pot and collection date before opening the fruit. Scoop the seeds and gel into it, add a little water and keep it at room temperature. Nebraska Extension describes a 2–4-day fermentation, with occasional stirring; record the actual start. [ ] 2. Finish when seed separates from floating pulp Check the batch daily. When seeds settle and pulp separates above them, pour off the upper material carefully while retaining the seeds below. Add clean water and repeat the settling and decanting as needed. Pour the remaining seeds into a fine sieve and rinse away clinging pulp; do not leave a finished batch soaking for convenience. [ ] 3. Dry, separate and label the lot Spread the washed seeds in a thin layer on a fine screen or wax paper. Air-dry at room temperature in a well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Keep the label with them. Only when thoroughly dry, place them in a labeled paper packet inside a dry, sealed outer container in a cool location. NEXT CHECK During drying, check for damp clumps and spread them apart. Record when the lot is dry and packed. Before relying on it for next season's container, run a small germination check and retain its result with the packet; germination does not establish genetic identity or freedom from disease. REFERENCE University of Minnesota Extension: Saving vegetable seeds https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/gardening-in-minnesota/saving-vegetable-seeds University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension: Saving and Storing Garden Seeds https://lancaster.unl.edu/saving-and-storing-garden-seeds/ Utah State University Extension: Collecting and Storing Seeds from Your Garden https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/collecting-and-storing-seeds-from-your-garden Your notes stay in this file. Review local conditions before acting.