Tomato seed: does anyone use hydrogen peroxide?
I live in a semi-arid climate. A great deal of wheat is grown nearby. Little rain falls during the summer. Humidity regularly falls to 20% or below every afternoon. It's great for the grain harvest.
I save tomato seed by the simplest method. Take some of the seeds off the cutting board and put them on a paper towel. Set the paper towel on a table under the deck roof where it gets hours of sunshine every afternoon. Three weeks is what I shoot for. It may sprinkle in September but I'm not liking to have to cover the towels, protecting them from wind-blown rain.
I know I should collect seed from the early fruit but too often, misshapen fruit early discourages me. I also need to wait for the few late varieties, into September. Sooo ... We had more rain in October than any other month in over 120 years!
Yes, I brought my seed-saving indoors! For whatever sunlight we had - the towels sat on a table in the South Window ... for a month. However, the humidity gauge in the house has never dropped below 60% that I know of. The forced-air heat has been on for weeks with a floor vent right under the table.
I have Amy Sue's seeds to send!. Germination of 1 or 2 year old saved seed has never been a problem. I do not use sterile starter mix for the specific reason of hoping for a good beneficial microbe population. But, I'm wondering, should I be treating my seed this year??
Steve