How to save tomato seeds

Saving your own seed can save you money, and is an excellent way of increasing your stock of your favourite garden plants, keeping annuals, biennials, perennials and veg plants going from year to year.

Ben Gabel and Kate McEvoy of Real Seeds are passionate about encouraging gardeners to save their own seeds. They sell seeds that are open pollinated and will therefore be identical to the parent plant (as opposed to F1 hybrids, which do not come true from seed). They teach gardeners how to save the seeds of their favourite varieties at home – so there's no need to buy new seed every year.

Here, Ben and Kate give their advice on saving tomato seeds.

How to save tomato seed

Step 1

Let the tomatoes reach full ripeness before harvesting.

Step 2

Squeeze the seeds into a jar and leave them in a warm room to ferment for three days.

Step 3

Add water to the jar and mix well.

Step 4

The good seeds will sink to the bottom. Discard the floating seeds and rinse the good seeds in a sieve under the cold tap.

Step 5

Shake off as much water as possible.

Step 6

Tip the seeds on to a plate. Leave to dry in the warm but out of direct sunlight.

Step 7

When fully dry, separate the seeds from each other and store in a cool dry place, until you are ready to sow them the following year.

Find out more about Real Seeds.