What seeds and what to do with them?

We are planning on purhcasing a large quantity of seeds for storage in a possible sitx scenario. We currently have 1/2 an acre that could be dedicated to large garden. Possible 1 acre if necessary.

What kind of seeds would you buy and why?

How would you store these seeds and where? Clean dry crawlspace adequate?

Any tips that you may have on the preservation of your own seed storage?

11:11

Heirloom or open pollinated seeds. Hybrids wont be "true" if you collect seeds from resulting plants.

Most seeds will store fine if kept dry and at ambient temps.

Also I hear it would be best to get Non-GM seeds, that is where I am at now, Tryin to get some for storage.

we bought a large bunch of seeds and stored them in the original containers.... all non... genetically altered.

here are a few places that will offer you some good proces and one large amount of information as well... hope it helps some...


www.survivalistseeds.com...

victoryseeds.com...

attra.ncat.org...


oh and keep on prepping.... might need it all sooner than we all want

Don't forget fertilizer and sevin dust. We are talking survival here, not organic...you can't afford to lose your crop to pests or depleted soil.

edit for spelling

[edit on 17-1-2010 by americanwoman]

heirloomacres.com is probably better than those other sites

For storage more thasn 1 year...heirloom seeds are best. Hybrids are good for the first year, maybe second...then their DNA/genetics breakdown and good chance they won't even germinate at all.
For storage...mason jars with lids and rings. I put seeds in a small paper bag, store in the jar, put in a cool, dark, dry place. Place in an old cooler/icechest or better still...store in surplus ammo tins with rubber gasket. Will last indefinitly.
For an acre garden, you will get the most food out of the smallest space with cabbage, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, squash yellow+zucchini, cukes, and beans...green beans and lima beans. Corn is a good choice, but know your varieties and what you intend to do with it. For eating fresh on/off cob...golden bantam is a good choice...prolific and about 3+ears per stalk. Save space by planting running beans at the base of corn after it has sprouted...the stalk acts as a natural trellis for beans to grow up on.
Potatoes and onions are a different matter. They are best grown from actual potato and onion sets...not from seed. They keep well in dark, cool(not cold), and DRY places.... under house is ideal. In fact, we will plant potatoes left from the previous years harvest the following spring. Onions when harvested in late summer/early fall can overwinter like potatoes and plant the following spring...get what ol'timers call multiplyin' onions. The onion sets double eavery other year...increasing in number each year and break up like garlic cloves.
REMEMBER: you will not have access to the feed and seed store... you will have to live and do what grandaddy did and save some of what you grow for the following year to plant. Again, as I have suggested on other threads, a good and readable source of info is the Foxfire Books. Also, Blum's Farmers Almanac is an invaluable source of info. Also, keep and collect seed catalogues as they have vital info on p-lant characteristics, tips, and planting cycles.
Lastly, have an edible landscape. Use Blueberries as decorative shrubs, strawberries as borders, fruit trees for shade and wind breaks, running vines...use grapes. ATTN: Make sure the varieties chosen are suited to your area, and buy from local nurseries to get plants already acclimated to your region.
It's not rocket science, but a little homework will save you from hard and disappointing lessons at the end of the season. Also, find a local hardware/feed/and seed store..not the namebrand stores, but the one the ol'timers go to. Develope a relationship with them, they are an invaluable source of info...old tools and equipment, techniques, and the seassoned citizens in there will be more than happy to answer questions. Good luck and live the life. Our family has been doing so for over 10 years now.

I would be wary of what plants I was growing out in the open in a SitX situation... Something like a tomato plant is going to attract unwanted attention. You don't want to wake up one morning to find that your hard work and means of survival has been stolen by opportunists. I would go for underground crops that appear to be a mass of weeds, like potato or peanuts etc.

Unless you have a well fenced garden, then visibility won't be an issue.

And thank you Already Gone! Would you even manage a compost pile during this time? The wife and I just brought up starting a compost pile that can be used for years, but weren't sure if it was even worth it.

And thank you Already Gone! Would you even manage a compost pile during this time? The wife and I just brought up starting a compost pile that can be used for years, but weren't sure if it was even worth it.

reply to post by eleven:eleven


Compost piles are worth the effort...you will need all the nutrients/fertilizer you can get. Are going to have any animals/small livestock? We have a horse and pile his manure on the garden AND LET IT CURE or breakdown, then till it in. Also, a chicken coop works well, we put scraps/yardwaste/food trimmings in and the chickens eat up and convert to eggs... they in turn drop manure on straw floor of coop, about every other month, go in with wheelburrow and pitchfork and clean pen, spread on garden. DO NOT PUT RAW MANURE directly on or around veggies and fruits...too rich and will burn up your plants, plus a potent source of bacteria and maybe parasites. Pile up with other compost materielas or spread on an unused portion of garden and let dry/breakdown/cure.

Originally posted by lilwolf
we bought a large bunch of seeds and stored them in the original containers.... all non... genetically altered.

here are a few places that will offer you some good proces and one large amount of information as well... hope it helps some...


www.survivalistseeds.com...

victoryseeds.com...

attra.ncat.org...

oh and keep on prepping.... might need it all sooner than we all want

thanks for that info
2nd line..

[edit on 17-1-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

Originally posted by SerialLurker
I would be wary of what plants I was growing out in the open in a SitX situation... Something like a tomato plant is going to attract unwanted attention. You don't want to wake up one morning to find that your hard work and means of survival has been stolen by opportunists. I would go for underground crops that appear to be a mass of weeds, like potato or peanuts etc.

Unless you have a well fenced garden, then visibility won't be an issue.

Tomatoes can be sprawled. Its how lots of commercial growers do it.

[edit on 17-1-2010 by watcher73]

The onion sets double eavery other year...increasing in number each year and break up like garlic cloves.

Onion sets are just ~1" onions. Not sure where you get that they break up like garlic cloves. they take 2 years usually to mature which is why theyre sold as sets and as seed. Also depending where youre at you need to find out whether you need long or short day onions.

In general, most common varieties fall into one of two classes, long-day (for northern latitudes) and short-day (for southern latitudes). For this reason, onion varieties that are grown in the South are not adaptable to the North and vice versa

what you want to buy is seeds that are not sterile , meaning that the plants they produce are fertile and can reproduce by them selfs, some seeds these days only produce 1 season crops no matter how much you try so be picky about that ,

lettuces and herbs usualy get their own cycle going if you just let them pollinate once and they´ll be there for as long as they are cared for.

i make about 10 times the ammount of lettuce seeds a season then i originaly put in to it so its a win win thing in my opinion.

but depending on your location and seasonal weather id just go hamstering every seed that can be found and grown there.

but apart from tomatoes and potatoes you should also try and find native trees and bushes with medicinal properties and other useful means like basket weaving or just for durability and fire wood.

keep it simple and the garden will take care of it self more or less and once the reproduction part is mastered you´ll have free food for a small cost of your time.

so far i have gotten wild strawberries , rasberries , Parsley , chives, garlic, 3 sorts of lettuce, habanero, rosmarin, oregano, 3 apple trees and 2 cherry trees to grow with little of my time.

and as far as trees go ive planted pine, maple, birch, Juniperus and willow
all of which have more to offer then just firewood.

I've had good luck working with both of these companies:

Everlasting Seeds

Whatcom Seeds

Whatcom (seedrack) specializes in some semi-exotic things that we've grown with some success, such as stevia -- natural sweetener, coffee plant seeds, spices, as well as dozens of regular seeds. both of these companies sell open-pollinated seeds.

I store our seeds (between use) in an airtight plastic bucket with a dessicant package inside in order to fight ambient moisture. It's a good idea to keep them cool.

According to Everlasting Seeds:

Seeds stored between 66- 70 Degrees should last 5-9 Years.Refrigerated/Cooled Seeds should last 10-15 Years.

Everlasting Seeds also has an excellent free, downloadable growing guide.

Another vital skill IMO, is to be able to preserve seeds from the plants you grow. To that end, this website, Seed Savers Exchange has a wealth of information about preserving seeds, as well as a bunch of other resource materials and member information. Seedsavers' planting and seedsaving links

In regard to pest control......... Sevin (carbaryl) is relatively safe, albeit somewhat difficult to dispense as it tends to be sorta hydrophobic sometimes -- doesn't mix real well with water for leaf treatments. The manufacturers don't recommend doing that anyway.

My own preference is for cypermethrin (trade names Demon WP -- the WP stands for wettable powder). Cypermethrin is a derivative of chrysanthemum flowers, and has been used for centuries. The EPA qualifies it as "practically nontoxic by ingestion of mammals". Excellent for TREATMENT of pests on your crops. I like horticultural oil as a preventative. There are good mechanical ways of treating for whiteflies, if you're interested, that don't require any chemicals at all.

Good luck with your growing! Really important thread. I'm glad to see people taking responsibility for their own fuel needs.

Edit to add: might be beneficial to you to look into companiion planting as well. Where I grew up in Northern Idaho, it was common to grow corn and after the corn was well established, to grow beans upon the corn, and sometimes squash at the base. My mother often planted marigolds throughout her "grounds" to deter various pests.

[edit on 17/1/10 by argentus]

reply to post by eleven:eleven


Hemp my friend. Seeds of the plant cannabis sativa, hemp seed, contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. No other single plant source has the essential amino acids in such an easily digestible form, nor has the essential fatty acids in as perfect a ratio to meet human nutritional needs.


Here is a little song with a lot of info. Enjoy

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[edit on 17-1-2010 by Tuatha Dé Danann]

I'd like to hear more on the hemp idea other than the song, I've read similar to what you've said. Good stuff.


You say to buy seeds that are not sterile, but where is it that you purchase them?

reply to post by eleven:eleven


I came across this site this morning. I've never dealt with them, and they make some bold claims, but thought it might be of interest to you.

cheers

reply to post by argentus




I personally have bought some items from them... so far i have no complaints about the service and the products... but then again a short time will tell.... we plant their seeds this spring... a few types anyways to see what we get as far as quality and yield...