If you are growing tomatoes in your garden this year, it's finally time to reap the benefits of all your hard work. From July to September, tomatoes reach peak ripeness and are ready to be harvested and used in delicious, homegrown garden salads, homemade pasta sauces, or even given as harvest gifts to your neighbors, friends, and family.
Now is also the time to begin thinking about next year's garden, and if you want to grow tomatoes again, now is also the perfect time to collect seeds from your current tomato plants.
Collecting seeds from tomato plants is quite simple, especially if you follow expert gardener Visakha Mao's (@sandra.urbangarden) simple how-to video, where she shows a step-by-step process for harvesting and preserving tomato seeds that can last you years to come.
@sandra.urbangarden How to save tomato seeds ?? it's so easy!And If stored properly they will last you for several years to come. . Which Kind of Tomatoes Can I Save Seeds? 🍅 Choose open-pollinated (OP) tomatoes, Not hybrid varieties. Open pollinated tomatoes include all heirloom varieties . To begin fermenting: . 🍅 squeeze or scoop the seeds out of fully ripe tomatoes into a clean jar. 🍅 Add a little Water 🍅 Cover with Paper Towels and store away from direct sunlight for a few days. 🍅 After that, Rinse with clean water and dry them completely. 🍅 Last, Store them in bag and don't forget to label it 👍 #containergarden #urbangarden #vegetablegarden #homegrown #urbanorganicgardener #organicgardening #urbangardeninglife #greenthumbgardener #organicgardenermag #growyourownfood #healthylifestyle #backyardharvest #backyardgarden #thehappygardeninglife #backyardbounty #sustainablesprout #showusyourgarden ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show
The scoop
To save your tomato seeds using Visakha's method, all you need is a clean jar or cup, a little bit of water, some paper towels, and one or more fully ripe tomatoes.
Start by squeezing or scooping the seeds out of the tomatoes into the jar. Once you have enough seeds to your liking, add a small amount of water to cover the seeds.
Now the seeds are ready to be covered and stored. Cover the jar with a paper towel and store it away from direct sunlight to allow the seeds to ferment. Visakha explains that this is an important step that helps to increase germination rates and kill some seed-borne pathogens.
After a couple of days, the seeds will be ready to be rinsed with clean water and dried (completely) before storing them so they can be used next season.
"It's so easy!" says Visakha.
How it's helping
Visakha's hack and others like it simplify gardening and its best practices, making it more accessible for beginners and experts alike.
There are numerous physical, mental, social, money-saving, and environmental benefits to growing one's own produce, so the more people who do, the happier and healthier we and our planet will be.
Investing in a garden doesn't have to cost much. An initial gardening investment of $70 can produce up to 300 pounds of fresh produce, about $600 worth, in one year.
Homegrown food is tastier and healthier, too. Studies have found homegrown produce has more fiber, which aids in digestion, weight management, and cholesterol reduction. Research from the University of Colorado shows that people who garden consume about 1.4 more grams of fiber per day and engage in approximately 42 more minutes of physical activity per week compared to non-gardeners.
Plus, homegrown produce can significantly reduce your carbon impact. Compared to store-bought produce, which generates 0.18 pounds of carbon per pound during transportation, growing 300 pounds of your own food can save around 50 pounds of carbon from entering the atmosphere.
What everyone's saying
Users applauded Visakha's how-to video.
"I do mine exactly the same way," wrote one user. "It's just so rewarding."
"Wow," commented another user. "So interesting."
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