Saving seeds from hybrid tomatoes

Credit: Cdw victoria

Q: I bought West Coast’s tomato seeds Super Fantastic (hybrid) for planting this year. I am very impressed by the yields and size. I would like to know if I can save the seeds from this year’s tomato fruits for next year’s planting? Is “hybrid” a big concern here?

If you save seeds from hybrid tomatoes there’s no guarantee that the same tomatoes will grow from these seeds the following year.

The genetic make up of a hybrid tomato is derived from two different parent strains; in order to get the same tomato and the same yields a cross has to be made every year between these two parents. The best tomatoes to save seeds from are open-pollinated heritage varieties that have not been hybridized.

Even then it’s important to select the best tomatoes to save seeds from in order to maintain varietal purity of the strain.