Seeds...More Valuable Than Gold? The Real Survivalist Currency.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Im glad you mentioned the thing about area and how well something may thrive. Everyone should know what hardiness zone they are in. Seed packets will tell you which zones they do best in. I am in zone 6 and can grow most veggies but fruit plants are limited. I cant grow anything like pineapples, bananas or anything of the citrus variety. Some fruits are pretty versatile as well as practical, however, like Goji berries, blueberries, cherries and melon varieties like cantaloupe and sugar baby watermelons.

Here is a link to a hardiness zone map

www.usna.usda.gov...

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Don;t buy a big seed pack - odds are there are varieties that won't do well in your area or plot or you won't like them.
Buy plants that do well in your zones and soil, that are easy to care for and will store well.
For example, Broccoli is good but only produces for a few months and can only be stored by freezing. Poor choice if you don;t have a big freezer or you have no power.
Corn on the other hand can be frozen, canned or dried and can be companion planted with beans and squash, each plant helping support the other.

Your life may depend on your choices is all I'm saying.
No biggie, right?

Exactly,

As I mentioned earlier. Some seeds won't do well in certain zones. I am zeroing my search to Canadian suppliers and US folks should do the same. The companies that are reputable like the one I mentioned above will design your pack for your zone.

Even in Canada, East Coast as compared to West can be quite different climates, soils and rain fall etc.

Do your homework!

You bring up a very good point and one I have agreed with for many years.

I have a quite a lot of non-hybrid seeds stored. I bought mine from "Emergency essentials" and have

12 of these cans, there may be better deals but I deal with them A LOT......





The page is here...... for those interested, they have a lot of good stuff. SEEDS

I completely agree with this! I have been collecting non-hybrid seeds for a few years now, and have gotten to the point where I can harvest my own. Luckily I live in a zone where almost everything will grow- depending on time of year, or location in the yard. My husband and I, years ago, wanted an "eatable" back yard. We planted fruit trees, a small vineyard, and a nice chunk of garden. Nothing like homemade grape jelly! We have pears, oranges, apples (they are a little tricky here), fig, and lemon and limes. I've always loved to garden. My little hobby just might save us one day! If, by chance, nothing happens, my kids won't have to come inside for an afternoon snack.

Another good idea is to find out your hardiness zone and plan accordingly with the temperature and the soil. For example, San Antonio is primarily clay soils, so we have to do some prep. Normally I compost and condition my soil a month before I plant, and water often as clays have poor absorption, although the clays here swell when wet.

Another thing to consider is the general pH of your land. some need more conditioning than others.

right now Im growing peppers, carrots, squashes, beans and corn (corn, squash, and beans are the three sisters and be intermixed and grown) along with some gourds for storage and art stuff. If this crop works out well I'll expand my garden next year to include more.

I have habaners, jalapenos, serranos, a few ghost peppers... red and yellow corn (deer corn is the original maize, so it is human edible, but not like the sweet corn we get now) and multi-colored carrots.

I'm sure I have more, but that's it for the moment. tomatoes are pigs for water, and right now SanAntonio is on the edge of starting drought restrictions.

I got just what you folks need... a list on where to find your local county extension agents

Are you looking for help with a question about your garden, lawn, finding a farm or anything agricultural? The solution is your local county extension agent from the Cooperative Extension office; and they're free! To find your local county extension agent's office, just click on your state on the map below! The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.

Just click here for a map
now dont say I never gave you anything... other than a hit on the head

Brilliant - S&F!

The cheapest I'd found was for one acre at $200 - this is 75% off! Many thank you's!

Originally posted by chasingbrahman
Brilliant - S&F!

The cheapest I'd found was for one acre at $200 - this is 75% off! Many thank you's!

Link Please!

Gotta share the finds...

reply to post by jude11


I was referring to the first link in the thread provided by the OP - sorry!

Originally posted by chasingbrahman
reply to post by jude11

 

I was referring to the first link in the thread provided by the OP - sorry!

oops,

Sorry, I'm the OP! LOL

Thought you found a new site.

Thanks!