Seed Production Begins In Earnest!

Now that the tomatoes are ripe, we’re in full Seed Production Mode.  Here’s what the inside of the workshop looks like:

I’ve tried plastic containers to ferment tomato seed (which needs to be done to dissolve the gelatinous sac around each seed which contains germination inhibitors — when you plant a seed, you want it to germinate promptly!), but I always come back to glass.  It’s just easier to see what’s going on and to clean the containers afterwards.

On the table on the right are Rei Umberto (King Humbert), Ei von Phuket and Zhong Shu #6 tomato seeds fermenting in the jars.  The middle of the table contains Jaune du Poitou Leek seed heads drying on a platter.  On the far left, fermented and washed tomato seeds dry on china platters I purchased at Liberty Thrift because the seeds won’t stick to china or glass plates as they dry.

The paper bags behind the table hold more Jaune du Poitou Leek seed heads that are drying down, along with some Long Yellow Radish seeds that ripened early.

Windows in the Workshop are kept open (with screens) to keep the air moving over the drying seeds.

Only one of the bags contains Long Yellow Radish seeds, but as this photo shows, we should have bags and bags of this seed as summer wears into autumn!

The leeks and radishes put all their energy into seed production, so we don’t have any of those plants for sale.  The tomatoes produce plenty of fruit — if you’re looking for excellent sauce tomatoes, message me as we can fufill all your tomato sauce dreams!