Considerations

• To grow the best tomato plant possible, the healthiest tomato seeds are needed. Whether you purchase seeds or dry them yourself, the seeds chosen should be free from debris, well-formed with no abnormalities and should show no signs of having begun to sprout or germinate.
  
  

Planting the Seeds

• A good potting soil or rich soil from a successful garden is necessary to germinate tomato seeds. After filling a pot with soil, a toothpick can be used to make a depression in the soil for each seed. The seeds are planted about a half inch deep, and covered gently with soil. Making a note of the date the seeds are planted is a useful tool in keeping track of the seeds' progress.
  
  

Seedlings

• Small tomato seedlings should begin to break through the soil in approximately 5 to 9 days, depending on the tomato variety. As the seedlings grow, cull any malformed or unhealthy looking plants from the pot to give the healthy plants a better environment in which to grow.
  
  

Fermenting Seeds Before Drying

• Seeds saved from successfully grown tomatoes can be dried and, when properly saved, can last upwards of five years. Interestingly enough, many gardeners choose to ferment the seeds first before drying, placing the new seeds in a fresh-water bath inside a covered container for a period of days. The fermented seeds are put through a repetitive strain-rinse-water soak process several more times before the seeds are then set out to dry.
  
  

Drying Seeds

• The clean, strained, fermented (but not germinated) seeds, are then set out to dry on a non-porous surface, such as glass, plastic, stainless steel or ceramic, since the seeds will stick to paper toweling or other porous surfaces. The drying process takes several days. When the seed breaks as it is bent, it is dry enough to be stored. If it bends, it needs more drying time. Fermented seeds germinate much more quickly than other seeds.
  
  

Planting

• Tomato plants that are vigorous growers and are planted in a garden bed should be space approximately 24 to 26 inches apart. Dwarf tomato plants need a 12-inch spacing between them. Most tomato plants requiring staking or caging.