Saving seeds from fleshy fruits/vegetables is easier than you'd think.

Saving vegetable seeds is a relatively easy and inexpensive project with the benefit of saving you money when it comes time to plant again in the spring. Instead of spending wheelbarrows full of cash on seed packets, you can just pull out your stash, knowing that you have seeds for plants that do well in your yard.

Collecting seeds requires some very basic equipment that you probably already own.

Depending upon the type of plant there are different steps based upon where the seeds actually reside on the plant. Pods are handled differently than flower heads, and harvesting the seeds from a fleshy vegetable like tomatoes and cucumbers is another story all together.

Collecting seeds from tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

One of the main differences in collecting the seeds from these fleshy fruits/vegetables is that you don't let the seeds dry out on the plant or inside the fruit. Instead:

Pick a completely ripe tomato, cucumber, etc.  It has to be ripe or the seeds won't be mature enough to reproduce.

1. Cut it open and scoop or squeeze the the seeds along with the pulp into a glass or plastic container.
2. Add enough water to cover the collected mass and stir.
3. Let the mixture sit out several days at room temperature and stir occasionally.
4. The healthy, viable seeds will settle to the bottom, while the nonviable seeds will float.
5. Pour off the water along with the pulp and floating seeds.
6. Spread the viable seeds from the bottom of the container on a paper towel to dry, you may want to flip the seeds over to ensure they dry evenly.
7. Once dry,collect the seeds into a labeled paper envelope and keep them in a cool,dry place until it's time to plant again. Try these templates to make your own seed-size envelopes.

For more seed saving articles, check out:

Gardening 101: Saving vegetable seeds, part 1

Gardening 101: Saving vegetable seeds, part 2