Garden seeds

[am94pm]

I heard a commercial on the radio about an emergency garden seed kit that have non genetically modified seeds. I got to think may be not a bad idea. I never had thought about that. I did find some online.

Healthy Harvest, LLC - Garden Seeds

http://beprepared.com/category.asp?c=91&name=Seeds&bhcd2=1237501279

Food Storage Vegetable Garden Seed Kit - Perfect Addition To Year Supply of Food / Emergency Preparedness Supplies - 1.4 Lb Assortment of Gardening Seeds Sealed in Can for Long Shelf Life - Non-Hybrid Seeds: Pea, Radish, Onion, Spinach, Cabbage, Swis

 

[melensdad]

Other good sources would include SEED SAVERS and SEEDS OF CHANGE. Also many garden centers stock various organic heirloom varieties of seeds. Really what you are looking for are ANY of the NON-HYBRID varieties of vegetables. Hybrids will not reproduced properly from 'harvested' seeds. But any of the heirloom varieties and any NON-HYBRID seed will do that.

I have not looked into the cost of the seeds from the survival sources, but I know a lot of stores will sell regular seed packets at low prices, often 10-cents a pack after the planting season has already begun.

 

[cosermann]

One thing to keep in mind (and you probably already know this) is that most garden seeds lose 50% of their viability within a few years (varies by seed) when stored in a cool, dry place. That can be doubled if the seeds are dried to 8% moisture and frozen, but seeds aren't the sort of thing one can just stash and forget for 10 years and expect a lot of vigor if you have to use them.

Suggested book: "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth.

 

[jedi]

So how does that "world seed bank" in anarticia or some far north country is going to handle sorting all those seeds?

I guess for our purposes you recommend rotating the seeds every year or two then?

 

[jeremy]

Could you dry the seeds down to 7-8% then seal them in a Mylar bag? Would this extend the storage life?

 

[cosermann]

Suggested book: "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth.

If one is going to do this seriously, this book, or one like it, is a necessity IMO.

One could, conceivable look around the web and patch the information together from links like this:

Seed Viability | Horticulture and Home Pest News
Storing Seed and Grain - Maintaining seed viability and vigor
Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds
Victory Seeds* --* Seed Quality & Seedling Emergence
Vegetable Garden Seed Storage and Germination Requirements, G80-503-A

However, it's very nice to have it all in one place in printed form.

 

[Pamcake]

Thanks for those links, cosermann. They are helpful! No wonder the left-over seeds stored in the barn didn't do well last year... (even the commercial collection in the #10 can)