Is Fermenting Tomato Seeds Necessary?

Editor’s note: You can read the results of this test in the article The Best Way To Save Tomato Seeds.

THE MAJORITY OF seed saving experts maintain that you should ferment tomato seeds before storing them for the winter. My wife sees no need for this. She has the strong opinion that this is a myth or urban legend.

For those of you who are not familiar with the process of fermenting tomato seeds, it involves:

1. Squeezing the guts and seeds of your best tomato into a container
2. Covering the tomato material with water
3. Letting the mixture set until mold grows on the top

The purpose of this sometimes smelly process is to have the microorganisms eat the gelatinous material that surrounds the seeds. This material actually inhibits germination, preventing the seeds from germinating while they are still in the tomato. Experts also claim that the fermentation process prevents tomato diseases in some way.

Here’s a good video providing all the details of the traditional process:

My wife has certainly had success saving tomato seeds that have not been fermented. She just takes the seeds out and lets them dry on a paper towel. Germination rates using this methods have been very high and some of my best plants and tomatoes have resulted.

It’s possible that her success has been due to the variety of tomato. Possibly the anti-germination material of my pink brandywines hasn’t been as potent as it would be in other varieties.

Testing both seed saving methods

To see if fermenting actually makes a difference, I’m going to test both methods. I’m going to:

1. Take half the insides from one tomato and make two batches
2. Dry one batch without fermentation on a paper towel
3. Ferment and dry the second batch using the traditional method
4. Plant seeds from both batches in seed starting mix in the late winter
5. Compare seed germination rates and plant health from both batches

I’m going to try this with several tomato varieties. It will be interesting to see how they compare and if fermentation is necessary or even helpful. I’ll let you know the results.

Do you ferment your tomato seeds before saving them? Let us know your method by commenting below.

Related articles you might enjoy:

1. Book Review: Jere Gettle’s The Heirloom Life Gardener
2. Free 30-page Seed Saving Guide
3. Rare Vegetable Seeds Free from U.S. Government
4. The Best Way to Save Tomato Seeds

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