Question
I have just taken hibiscus seeds from my perennial white and purple hibiscus, what do I do for next years planting?
I have done the same for cheery tomatoes - how do I keep the seeds and when do I start them?

Answer
Hi Martha,
Thanx for your question.  Bear in mind that if your plants are hybrids, most likely, the plants resulting from their seeds will not resemble the parent plants because of hybridization.  In fact, many of the seedlings will be inferior plants but there is no harm in saving seed and trying anyway.  Start your hibiscus seeds about 6 weeks before the last frost.  They germinate in about 10-14 days at 70 degrees F.  They need lots of light and will get leggy quickly so make sure you have a 40-watt shoplight suspended about 8 inches above them.  There are some varieties of cherry tomatoes that are open pollinated but if any other tomatoes were near, you may have gotten some random cross pollination.  Go ahead and try.  The seeds will germinate as early as 5 days at 75 F.  I would start them about 8 weeks before last frost.  After the seedlings have their first set of true leaves (the first set of leaves are seed leaves) gently prick them out and plant them in separate cells.  Start feeding them 1/2 strength fish emulsion every 10 days.  After the last frost, place the seedlings outdoors in the shade where they will not suffer from rain, hail, excesses in temperature, wind, etc. for about 10 days.  After that, both types of plants should be planted in full sun.  I hope this helps.
Tom