The TRICK To Saving Seeds For Next Year - Tomato & Pepper Seed Harvest

Saving seeds from your tomatoes or peppers can save you money and mean you have an endless supply of seeds for the coming years.
So let's save seeds from my Black Krim tomatoes and two types of Bell Pepper.
It's really easy and quick.
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[@chrislilly1463]

Thank you by the way! I haven't been this motivated in such a long time I couldn't wait until the end to be a "repeat commenter!"

[@GardenerScott]

I'm so glad to see you're saving the Black Krim. Great explanation of saving seeds in an easy way.

[@eliandkate]

Got to give them another season at least 😁

[@Garden-of-weeden]

I love your kitchen!!!! And those knives are singing sharp🥰

[@eliandkate]

That is our dream kitchen… took us 8 years to get it 😃

[@Garden-of-weeden]

@@eliandkate worth the wait🥰

[@BettyBoopBarnes]

If the seeds stick to the paper towel too much for you, use a paper coffee filter. They won't stick to that

[@wjm1319]

Or a piece of kitchen parchment paper

[@oreopaksun2512]

Life is like a packet of F1 hybrid seeds; ya never know what you are gonna get!....Gardener Gump😉 I love my tomato volunteers, especially when they come up in compost, so strong and vigorous. However, so far, the fruit have been....atrocious! So I have to do the non-lazy seed saving; thank you for such a clear demonstration.

[@eliandkate]

Oh I like that 😂😂😂

[@mpaws]

Very good explanation. Thank you.

[@connorsmith9244]

My great aunt was a great gardener, and she had an easy way to save her pepper seeds: Simply cut out the crown, and leave the seeds attached to the stem to dry out in her windowsill and sit for next season. She lived in Houston, Texas; this probably wouldn't work for maritime temperate climates. Houston has a Spring and Fall season akin to our (scotland and US PNW) entire summer season, so these were only stored for a dry four or five months.

[@eliandkate]

There’s been a few folk saying that’s how they do things. I wouldn’t risk it for me (as you said different Cleveland’s of humidity) but give it a try if other folk in your area do it

[@simonysinclair7163]

Thank you for explaining all. Very useful xx

[@eliandkate]

Glad to hear. Hope it helps get you saving seeds Simony

[@carolpursley2901]

My father use to take a really ripe tomatoe and squash it on a piece of board and put them in the garage for a month, then scrape seeds and all into a jar. I found some of the seeds 10 years after he died Planted them and had over 50% germination. Have been saving and planting them for 42 years now.

[@angelad.8944]

I had a similar experience except with eggplant seeds. Couldn't believe all of them germinated after 10 years. That was one crazy eggplant year, lol. I had them planted everywhere! 😁

[@eliandkate]

That’s a lovely connection to your dad, everytime you grow the plants you must smile 😍

[@angelad.8944]

I kid you not....about a minute and 20 secs in, I was like, oh shoot, my tomato seeds!! I immediately paused the video and did what you were about to do. I had to do it before I forgot. I even labelled them like you did. Thank you for the reminder, lol. In my case it was the Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes. They are all cozy on a paper napkin now. 😄

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂 I think we all have those moments sometimes

[@CraigJohnston-z1x]

Hello from Alloa Well I may have found your channel a little (lot) late in the season 😂 But woohoo I’m happy to find someone in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 so the content is more relevant. Very good content too thank you. I’m off to harvest my tomatoes and seeds and padron peppers 👍.

[@eliandkate]

Awesome! Don't think of it as late, think of it as getting an early start on next year!

[@julie-annepineau4022]

I do the water ferment version for tomato seeds. 1/2 tomato gel, 1/2 water. shake daily. Pour off the foamy stuf at the top add fresh water. Seeds that aren't viable float. Usually good to dry in 3-4 days. I also like yogurt lids for drying on. The lip keeps me from spilling if I knock the cloth.

[@eliandkate]

I’m terrible for bumping it and spilling 😂😂😂

[@LTeppler]

A few years ago, I did an experiment with 3 different types of tomatoes. The experiment was spurred by my argument with a senior professor that it didn't matter how I cleaned the potato seeds we were processing, they would grow anyway. So in 2021, remembering the conversation, I took beefsteak, slicer, and cherry varieties of tomatoes. The first batch I cleaned carefully and dried. The second batch I rinsed, but didn't bother taking all the pulp off, and dried them. The third batch I left in little containers in the field to rot. I harvested them about 2 months later, removed the seeds, rinsed them, and dried them. Of 500 seeds each, I got less than .01 percent difference in germination rates between all the different methods. The rotted tomatoes produced dark seeds I thought for sure wouldn't germinate, but they proved me wrong. It really didn't matter. I only had to make absolutely sure the seeds were dry when I stored them, because if I didn't, sure enough they would sprout and be ruined.

[@eliandkate]

Fun experiment. I agree the drying was key.

[@janetroberts2262]

🤷🏻‍♀️

[@siobhanpenny7600]

It's nice to see a video on this, I've read about it but still...thank you 😁

[@eliandkate]

Hope it helps you visualise things 😀

[@cpoco]

I recently planted out my second generation saved corn from an F1... last year they were a little patchy in development... but tasted fine... I saved one that had completely filled out. I also managed to "accidentally" save some sunflower and dahlia seeds when I found that the flowers had dried on the garden beds (I chopped and dropped)... both have since germinated in the greenhouse. I'm fine with the dahlia being different to the plant they came from... I like the idea of a bit of a surprise :D

[@eliandkate]

Me too It’s fun!

[@colleenstinton-czuprynski9894]

Thanks

[@carolpursley2901]

Thanks!

[@eliandkate]

Awwwww Carol Thank you 😍😍😍

[@RichWoods23]

There are several things you might do when saving seeds, to protect against disaster. If you always take the first ripe fruit from each plant and save the seeds from it, you'll have protected its genetic material from later incident in the summer, whether the plant gets hit by blight, a particularly vicious pest infestation or the cat knocking it over and crapping on it. It might be that you then end up selecting for early fruiting, but you still have the option of discarding the seeds if you later decide that the plant turned out to be especially vulnerable to blight or infestation compared to the others, or gave too low a yield over the entire season, or you realised that you didn't like the taste of the fruit from one plant anywhere near as much as the others. You can top the overall number of seeds up by collecting the seeds from the last ripened fruit of a favoured plant, but it's not a good idea to rely on just the one plant or the one fruit to provide all your seed for the following year. You can then put all the seeds from a single variety together and store them. But when it comes to storing, I'd recommend splitting the seeds across four packets. Mark two packets as being for use the following year and the other two for the subsequent year; the idea is that you then never open the packet and handle any seeds until you actually need them, to minimise exposure to any infectious agent (or gardener clumsiness -- we've all been there!). When storing the seeds, bundle one packet for each year together and store them in separate places (one seed box in the shed, the other in the loft, for example) in case damp or mice or whatever should get into a box. If you then find that you have little or no germination the following year, you've got a second set of seeds you can retrieve from the other box and you've only been set back by two or three weeks. After you've been doing this for a couple of years, you will also have the seeds from two (or even three) years ago to fall back on if something should go horribly wrong; it's not impossible for lines to have to be discarded because there was a bad cross one year, but that's rare. It's all just a belt and braces approach to keeping safe the genetic lines you breed over the years to be right for your growing conditions and preferences. Stored seeds do drop in germination rates over time, but you can usually compensate by sowing twice as many as in the previous year of the same batch. From that you can calculate how many seeds you'll need to keep from a given number of plants to be sure of having a desired number of plants in the next few years (it only has to be approximately right so don't lose any sleep over it).

[@eliandkate]

😹😹😹 cat my cat would never do that

[@skygazer1024]

Very informative Eli. Your veggies looked gorgeous. That Black Krim was award worthy! I didn’t get anything from mine this year. Need to get an earlier start next spring. Psst… was that Kate chopping in the background?

[@eliandkate]

The krim did well but the Kellogg’s breakfast was woeful! That was indeed a very rude Kate chopping while I was filming!!!!!!

[@tanyagriffith2737]

A great video..I save mine as I make my salsa. On to the paper towel they go with a sharpy pen handy to know what variety. I then store in a paper bag. You should do a video on geranium storage over winter....The paper bag or cardbox box worked like a charm. Cheers from 🇨🇦

[@cherylhowker1792]

Thanks for explaining this, someone else said about what to do and what to save but didn’t show how. So this is very helpful. Now I will do mine this week. Thanks ☺️

[@eliandkate]

Hope it goes well

[@chicosgarden]

Great video with clear instruction (as always), I have started saving seeds this year and I am loving the satisfaction of knowing that they are fresh seeds from flowers and veg that I have grown.

[@eliandkate]

You earned that satisfaction. You E done awesome this year

[@angelad.8944]

You will be amazed at the germination rate and how healthy your little seedlings will be. Most places give us home growers the b quality seed and the professionals get the A grade ones. I remember when I first started I was always blown away at how big the seeds are compared to purchased seed.

[@Yankeesista203]

Wonderful tutorial! Got mine saved!👍🏿

[@eliandkate]

Yay What have you saved?

[@ninemoonplanet]

Tomato seeds are viable for how long? Some say 5 years, some 2. Does this depend on the varieties? I use coffee filters now for drying, they're already a cup shape, keeps the seeds from falling down.

[@eliandkate]

They can be viable for many years if you store them well. Cool, dark and no moisture.

[@Bexyboo88]

I save my tomato seeds like this which has worked great: Spoon them onto a sheet of tissue paper, fold over and pat them dry as best you can before the tissue is too soggy. Peel back to reveal seeds (with only very little jelly on them now). Pick seeds off and put them on fresh kitchen towel, fold up and write what they are on it. leave them on the side to totally dry out and then I then pop it in an envelope with 1 of those moisture sachet things and they are good to go for next year, never had any issues :D

[@eliandkate]

Good plan with the moisture sachets 😁

[@quietspacearts]

another good way and less messy way is to cut around the green stalk hat bit slightly in the red and around it and then pull oot and tak the seeds in one big lump, next to no mess and easy to dry for few days and then use fingers to run doon the seed pack and then they fall off into recepticle and you can dry by the sun for few days it works a treat. xx

[@eliandkate]

Guess you are meaning peppers?

[@markcrichton3257]

Great video. Do you recommend storing seeds in paper packets rather than plastic baggies?

[@eliandkate]

Not at all… as long as they are 100% dry before you store them

[@user-xb7sj2uk4u]

Saved some F1 tomato seeds from shop bought fancy tomatoes ( salad and cherry) last winter/spring. germinated some of each. But unfortunately then the weather but and they didn't grow to any size really, nevermind fruiting. But I know now I can get them to germinate so hopefully next year there will be some fancy tomatoes.

[@eliandkate]

@@user-xb7sj2uk4u my long peppers started as a shop bought hybrid, a few years on now and they have stabilised and I know what I can expect from them each year 😀

[@user-xb7sj2uk4u]

And I made my own seeds packets out of old envelopes. Bit of easy Origami There's a KZbin video for how to do them. Not by me, by someone else.

[@eliandkate]

That’ll keep them safe ready for next year 👏👏👏

[@2galsfarmworks]

Awesome video!

[@eliandkate]

Glad you liked it….!some of those seeds are for you 😍

[@2galsfarmworks]

@@eliandkate Thank you so much! I’m planning a greenstalk in the greenhouse today. We are still figuring out space. Will share more later ♥️♥️

[@eliandkate]

@2galsvthomesteadwithgail oh please do and pictures!!!!!

[@SineadSinSin]

Really great tips. Can I please what type of strawberries you grew that made you sick of strawberries? They looked amazing!!

[@eliandkate]

It wasn’t the type… it was just the amount… they were ellasanta I think

[@clairewalkling3772]

Are they salt and pepper grinders? They’re marvellous! 😂

[@eliandkate]

There are wooden ones on the worktop, yes

[@clairewalkling3772]

Love them, next purchase for sure. Thanks for all your content, I’ve learned a lot 💚

[@cliffwilliams3919]

Good information Eli. Just wondering where you get your seed envelopes from? I haven't seen anything like them here in Australia and I have started to save my own seeds.

[@eliandkate]

Got them on Amazon…. There’s a link in the description you can nosey at

[@cliffwilliams3919]

​@@eliandkateThanks very much Eli. I will have a look and order some.

[@annickaprevander9863]

❤❤❤❤

[@chrislilly1463]

I asked my question, but didn't comment. I'd like your reply on this similar method. I learned from a gardener, that yes save the seeds and jelly, but she added 1/2 cup of water and suggested swirling once a day until they start to mold 5-7 days when the goo is on top and the seeds sink to the bottom, then it's easy to pour off the mold and goo, rinse, then dry briefly with paper towel to get off any excess jelly (now if you leave on paper towel they could germinate), then (this is my addition) put on your wife's fine china in the cupboard (less chance of accidental disposal), by moving to a plate in the cupboard they can dry for 5-10 days then you can package them. This worked 3 times to packet stage and NOBODY noticed my seeds chilling out. Edit: life hacks with china plate (that in my defense would be washed before use anyway! lol

[@eliandkate]

Yup that’s basically the same method, works perfect

[@cherylhowker1792]

Could I put the paper towel in a tub - no lid and then put seeds on them? Just aware what happened in my house- there’s no room where things like that will last more then over night with the support team coming in. I’m also worried they bin em but if I tell them what’s in there and why they may last.

[@eliandkate]

You absolutely could, as long as there is airflow

[@lauraa4436]

Thanks for this great video, you've reminded me to save the seeds from favourite toms too! In case you happen to read this, I have a very unrelated question about growing crops over winter in an unheated greenhouse.... I saw a video of yours where you tried growing in quite deep trays in your greenhouse. Did it go well?? I have some approx. 10cm deep trays and was wondering if it was worth having a go myself! Thanks so much 😃😃

[@eliandkate]

It went really well…. I’ve been growing like that for a few years now

[@lauraa4436]

@@eliandkate good to hear! Ill give it a go thanks 😊

[@chrislilly1463]

Question please, if you would on on "hybrid tomatoes". If I take the seeds from my hybrid tomatoes and they all grow up lovely and I save the seeds from the best tomato from that harvest. Assuming the seeds next year makes awesome tomato plants and fruit, will they now all become "that variety?" and make the same tomato plant year after year by saving the seeds or will a "hybrid" always result in a random variety year over year regardless depending on the pollen nearby? Does that make sense? Since I'm not trying to cross pollinate to get what the tomato started as. Will it eventually be the same or is that just the randomness from hybrids that you don't want? Just wondering if you get an awesome plant from the hybrid tomato, can it stabilize and become my own variety? Sorry, I just confused myself. lol

[@eliandkate]

If you do that over a few years eventually things will stabilise, but it can take a few years

[@villanella]

hey Eli, i used this method for my tomato seeds, but they are in the tubs for 10-12 days already (i went out of town and i will be back home only tomorrow nightű9. isn't it too long? can the seeds be demaged because i waited more then 4-5 days?

[@eliandkate]

I'd say get them out and dried asap.... hopefully you'll be ok, but the key is to get them dried asap

[@paulrush5935]

Great content eli, I’ve grown peppers for the first time only had 1 pepper on each of the 3plants I raised can you tell me why this could be?

[@eliandkate]

I can roughly through some thoughts but obviously without seeing what is going on it’s hard to be specific. So it could be that the plants were started too late or were stunted-maybe poor weather (if they weren’t warm enough, peppers like summer temps). Lack of flowers? If the greenhouse was too hot it can stop flowers forming or being pollinated. Or it could be that the flowers weren’t pollinated cause you didn’t have a draft in the greenhouse, insects or even you helping them along. There is also the small possibility that they weren’t getting enough nutrition but I’d imagine you would have noticed that one…. Hope some of that might help

[@paulrush5935]

@@eliandkate The only thing I can think of is the greenhouse being too hot, all 3 vents around the bottom And the roof windows they automatically open, plus blinds down 🤔 I keep a diary of when I sowed the fruits so I’ll look back, only had a couple of flowers on one plant and the other two had one flower What feed do you give and when it could be lack of nutrition and do you leave the leaves of besides, cutting overlapping ones off

[@eliandkate]

@paulrush5935 if you are growing in pots you want nice big pots, same as your tomatoes and feed weekly with a tomato feed Peppers are thirsty, hungry and they like space. You don’t have to prune… I’d say it’s better to leave it if you aren’t confident 😍

[@paulrush5935]

@@eliandkate thank you for replying I used a large pot so fingers crossed for next year, I’ll try again 👏

[@carolinebown8686]

Great informative & interesting video ... This was my first year growing peppers & they werent great ... very small & only 6/8 peppers off of 4 plants ( plants looked healthy enough ) ... Would you advise that I dont bother collecting seeds this year & try again next year ? 😊😊😊

[@eliandkate]

No go for it…. It’s always worth collecting

[@carolinebown8686]

@@eliandkate Do you put your fantastic success down to using your Quad grow system & feeding your peppers & tomatoes ?

[@eliandkate]

I do…. I love them!!!!

[@carolinebown8686]

@eliandkate I think I need to look into getting a couple of Quad grows for next year ... maybe Santa can bring me them 🤞

[@eliandkate]

@carolinebown8686 it’s so worth it 😁

[@Bob-bo8ik]

some say the best way to save seeds, is to eat them.

[@eliandkate]

Some Bob… some?

[@zoelangfield6057]

Hello I have just come across your you tube video's and I am hooked.There is loads of things I want to ask if I may. I am looking at getting a greenhouse. I have had green plastic 6ft ones for years and yes they are to small for tomatoes plants. I was going to for the next level thinking I can't afford a glass greenhouse but i have just come accross Hall greenhouse Popular in the sale until 31st oct 23. It looks just like yours. What type is yours and is it the same as the one with halls. I look at getting the extra ventilation in the roof.but it look like it was just an extra if that one was broken. As for the side vent the only one that fitted the 6x8 ft Popular was one that fitted on the back wall opposite the door. Any advice. I would really appreciate it. ❤❤❤

[@eliandkate]

hey Zoe hmmm this is a bit difficult for me to answer because although it may look like my greenhouse, it absolutely won't be anything like my greenhouse. Mine is a specialist company that makes seriously heavy-duty greenhouses (called Rhino). They are really expensive because they are built to survive extremes. I know Halls are a popular hobby greenhouse and lots of people have them, I've never had one myself so I can't comment on them but I think you are going about things the right way... listing what you think you need and then looking at what different greenhouses offer. I do have a video about things to think about before you buy a greenhouse if it helps, but like I say, don't compare to mine as mine is not a standard greenhouse... kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH3FoZugmNWJeNUsi=zSzJZAJcYpvbVIwp

[@zoelangfield6057]

Thank you for getting back to me that's lovely. It's thanks to your video that I watched that has made me look at these things before I buy.

[@bonitahunter8905]

What happened to the pot that you planted 3 different seeds in?? Lol

[@eliandkate]

Em….. I can’t remember that, you might have to remind me?

[@bonitahunter8905]

I've been going back. Tried to find it but no luck.. oh well I was just curious. No big deal.. Love the Scottish accent.. From 🇨🇦 🥰

[@laitae]

I'm only saving my dill and coriander seeds this year as we eat loads of these :-)

[@eliandkate]

Hellllooooooo Oh dill! I didn’t think of that 😬

[@dustyflats3832]

Even though open pollinated nightshades are self pollinating are you not concerned about cross pollination? I seen a lot of bumblebees on tomato flowers this year and was concerned. Next year I will bag the blossoms and mark them. Lol, I grew like 25 varieties of the ‘designer’ tomatoes and I really liked only 3. It could have been the late frost and drought, but many heirlooms had way too much catfacing that resulted in waste. I had a ton of plants so the loss wasn’t bad, but they don’t keep well. Didn’t much care for the flavor also. I read if the acid is low they don’t keep well and I think the flavor suffers as well. Many ‘designer’ varieties I think are bred for low acid. I know watering can deplete the flavor, but in this drought it was necessary. Next year I will go back to the basics with a couple new ones. It was an experimental year in many ways. I will try that King of the North pepper you have. Looks wonderful! 😂planted Ghost pepper for husband and I think everyone is afraid of it.😂

[@eliandkate]

Nah not worried. Yes there is still a possibility of cross pollination but it’s super low with tomatoes.

[@dustyflats3832]

@@eliandkate they say that’s true. I just don’t want to waste time and possibly lose a crop to a crossed veg that may not taste good. It’s a long winter to wait and I would be highly disappointed if the vegetables don’t taste right. Lol, sort of like my 25 varieties of tomatoes 🤣

[@dustyflats3832]

@@eliandkate that’s what they say, but it’s a long winter to wait and plant inferior seeds that have the possibility of tasting crappy. Lol, like most of the designer tomatoes I tried this year🤣

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂😂 nah this is for fun… if I start down the super serious route then I might as well just buy stuff