Seeds... A word to the Young Survivalist

Hobo Hilton · Sep 10, 2021

This is the time of year when garden's wind down. Take time to go see your Grandpa, Dad, Cousins and all the women you know that raised a garden this year. Ask them if you can "glean" through their garden and gather any plants that may still have a few seed pods still attached to them. Gather anything with a seed that grew within your environmental area. Do this even if you live in an apartment and are not currently raising a garden. Bring the seeds home and allow them to dry naturally.

Why?

1) Because next spring you may not be able to buy seeds... Big seed suppliers will sell to the commercial growers first. Home gardeners get the 'left overs".
2) Any seed you can gather locally has been acclimated to your local gardening zone, climate, moisture, sunlight, fertilizers, etc. When you buy seeds off the Internet or at a farm store, Walmart, etc.... They originate in a different environment. Many seeds come from Mexico, Vietnam, China or other regions of the world. They may germinate in your garden, grow a few inches and then mysteriously die.
3) If you have no access to a relatives garden then go to the local Farmers Market, buy a small amount of produce, bring it home and dry it. As you talk to the vendors, ask if their seeds are "Heirloom" or "Hybrid"... Many of the hybrid seeds will not germinate or you will not be sure of what they will produce. Heirloom will give you a produce that has not changed for many years...
4) Knowledge - If you can spend a few hours with Grandpa / Grandma they can give you a lifetime of info from your area. Some of the most misleading info is located on the Internet...
5) If you are able to "save seeds" be prepared to invest 2 - 4 years (seasons) in your own garden before you start to see positive results.

Now is the time to get started.

Best of luck.

7.62willdo · Sep 10, 2021

Wise words…..

DuneBoer · Sep 10, 2021

Hobo Hilton said:
This is the time of year when garden's wind down. Take time to go see your Grandpa, Dad, Cousins and all the women you know that raised a garden this year. Ask them if you can "glean" through their garden and gather any plants that may still have a few seed pods still attached to them. Gather anything with a seed that grew within your environmental area. Do this even if you live in an apartment and are not currently raising a garden. Bring the seeds home and allow them to dry naturally.

Why?

1) Because next spring you may not be able to buy seeds... Big seed suppliers will sell to the commercial growers first. Home gardeners get the 'left overs".
2) Any seed you can gather locally has been acclimated to your local gardening zone, climate, moisture, sunlight, fertilizers, etc. When you buy seeds off the Internet or at a farm store, Walmart, etc.... They originate in a different environment. Many seeds come from Mexico, Vietnam, China or other regions of the world. They may germinate in your garden, grow a few inches and then mysteriously die.
3) If you have no access to a relatives garden then go to the local Farmers Market, buy a small amount of produce, bring it home and dry it. As you talk to the vendors, ask if their seeds are "Heirloom" or "Hybrid"... Many of the hybrid seeds will not germinate or you will not be sure of what they will produce. Heirloom will give you a produce that has not changed for many years...
4) Knowledge - If you can spend a few hours with Grandpa / Grandma they can give you a lifetime of info from your area. Some of the most misleading info is located on the Internet...
5) If you are able to "save seeds" be prepared to invest 2 - 4 years (seasons) in your own garden before you start to see positive results.

Now is the time to get started.

Best of luck.

Don't forget seed taters!

sirhrmechanic · Sep 10, 2021

And don’t forget these!

oneshot86 · Sep 10, 2021

great topic

HeavyAssault · Sep 10, 2021

Thank you!

DarnYankeeUSMC · Sep 10, 2021

First make sure that they are not hybrid seeds. Heirloom seeds will gow when planted. Also, many seeds need to dry out on the plants.

MtnCreek · Sep 10, 2021

Can't wait to see the posts next yr about the franken watermelon/cucumber/squash/

supercorndogs · Sep 10, 2021

Melon and squash/cucumbers don't cross. Squash and cucumbers though, even the plants will start to change when they get too close.

You need to learn some phrases in planning your seed saving. Open pollinated, self pollinated, heirloom, hybrid. Saving seeds is a lot more involved than just running around grabbing some pods and drying them out. For me seed plants are dedicated to making seeds from the beginning of the year. Fruit should be allowed to ripen and dry on the plant for a lot of them. Others, like tomatoes, need to be fermented.

Remember the grandma and grandpa are a great source for information, but they can also be a great source of misinformation.

Seeds for next year are being collected and dried for next year. I don't see any industrial grow house cornering the supply. There would be no reason. Plus there are literally thousands of smaller seed producers out there.

DarnYankeeUSMC · Sep 10, 2021

Facebook is asking for people to turn in their friends if they think that they may be extreme in their canning. I am sure that they, google and probably a few more are also collecting the data and compiling a list for the gov.

supercorndogs said:
Melon and squash/cucumbers don't cross. Squash and cucumbers though, even the plants will start to change when they get too close.

You need to learn some phrases in planning your seed saving. Open pollinated, self pollinated, heirloom, hybrid. Saving seeds is a lot more involved than just running around grabbing some pods and drying them out. For me seed plants are dedicated to making seeds from the beginning of the year. Fruit should be allowed to ripen and dry on the plant for a lot of them. Others, like tomatoes, need to be fermented.

Remember the grandma and grandpa are a great source for information, but they can also be a great source of misinformation.

Seeds for next year are being collected and dried for next year. I don't see any industrial grow house cornering the supply. There would be no reason. Plus there are literally thousands of smaller seed producers out there.

I also remember in 2020 that there was a shortage of seeds and the gardening section of major retaining were blocked from purchases.
So there's that also

diggler1833 · Sep 10, 2021

A very wise idea indeed.

My personal stash:

Hobo Hilton · Sep 10, 2021

DuneBoer said:
Don't forget seed taters!

Here's the funny thing.... Many states require that 'Certified Seed Potatoes" are the only ones a gardener can plant. Go figure.

Lange Carabine · Sep 10, 2021

DarnYankeeUSMC said:
First make sure that they are not hybrid seeds. Heirloom seeds will gow when planted. Also, many seeds need to dry out on the plants.

And store them in the freezer.
They'll keep for years with little to no loss of germination.
Some varieties, like corn, beans sunflower, ect. will be down to 40% or less within 2 years if no kept frozen.
Plus it keeps the weevils, mice and other critters from raiding your stash.

Hobo Hilton · Sep 10, 2021

MtnCreek said:
Can't wait to see the posts next yr about the franken watermelon/cucumber/squash/

If the Internet is still around next year...

MtnCreek · Sep 10, 2021

Lange Carabine said:
And store them in the freezer.
They'll keep for years with little to no loss of germination.
Some varieties, like corn, beans sunflower, ect. will be down to 40% or less within 2 years if no kept frozen.
Plus it keeps the weevils, mice and other critters from raiding your stash.

Another option would be mason jar with tight lid and cool, dark place. I've grown few yr old sweet corn from same.

supercorndogs · Sep 10, 2021

DarnYankeeUSMC said:
Facebook is asking for people to turn in their friends if they think that they may be extreme in their canning. I am sure that they, google and probably a few more are also collecting the data and compiling a list for the gov.

I also remember in 2020 that there was a shortage of seeds and the gardening section of major retaining were blocked from purchases.
So there's that also

There was a shortage of plants. And places that shipped seeds were closed in some states. That said, i still made my normal seed and plant orders, plus a couple, and received them in a normal time frame. I laughed watching all the gardens around that popped up, curl up and die from neglect, when the zombie apocalypse didn't materialize.

It always helps to have a plan. A little knowledge and forethought, and the seeds you plant will bare the fruit you expect.

Its the time of year to get clearance bagged soil and compost. Thats said starting all your own plants and getting good results isn't easy.

A lot of you guys down south should not be winding down at all. Winding down hot weather stuff. Guys up north should probably have their winter cover crops in.

DarnYankeeUSMC · Sep 10, 2021

East TN. We, personally, are done with everything except green peppers and the hot peppers. Just planted carrots for the second time.

supercorndogs said:
There was a shortage of plants. And places that shipped seeds were closed in some states. That said, i still made my normal seed and plant orders, plus a couple, and received them in a normal time frame. I laughed watching all the gardens around that popped up, curl up and die from neglect, when the zombie apocalypse didn't materialize.

It always helps to have a plan. A little knowledge and forethought, and the seeds you plant will bare the fruit you expect.

Its the time of year to get clearance bagged soil and compost. Thats said starting all your own plants and getting good results isn't easy.

A lot of you guys down south should not be winding down at all. Winding down hot weather stuff. Guys up north should probably have their winter cover crops in.

supercorndogs · Sep 10, 2021

MtnCreek said:
Another option would be mason jar with tight lid and cool, dark place. I've grown few yr old sweet corn from same.

I worried about seeds and freezing them for while. I thought it made a difference in germination rate early on. But after hundreds of seed packets over the last 15 years. I am not sure any change in germination rate was anything but noise in the numbers. Sometimes you get packs that don't have a good rate of germination. I got a pack of Orange Limequeen Zinna from Burpee last year that went 0%. You especially notice germination rates in boutique varieties, where seeds are a dollar piece, and you drop one in each pot. All my leftover seeds are in zip locks in tupperware. Most my seeds for next year will be collected after the first freeze. I have bunch of celery seed and dikon radish seed hanging and drying. Some sweat corn has dried up and little and hung it on the fence for the birds.

supercorndogs · Sep 10, 2021

DarnYankeeUSMC said:
East TN. We, personally, are done with everything except green peppers and the hot peppers. Just planted carrots for the second time.

Spinach and radishes are good quick late season stuff. You guys probably stay warm enough for brassicas, peas, and potatoes through the fall into winter. We are down to about 4 weeks or so and we will probably have a good hard freeze, then return to 100 degrees for a month.

eca7891 · Sep 10, 2021

Freedom seed.

don’t forget those.

posted in the memory of AJ

acudaowner · Aug 1, 2022

like the bacon seed idea ...

BullGear · Aug 1, 2022

supercorndogs said:
Spinach and radishes are good quick late season stuff. You guys probably stay warm enough for brassicas, peas, and potatoes through the fall into winter. We are down to about 4 weeks or so and we will probably have a good hard freeze, then return to 100 degrees for a month.

Broccoli is another crop that can now be planted. At least in my area.

mi223 · Aug 1, 2022

I just started and need to finish planting a crop of carrots, Romain, and spinach. Hopefully get it all before any hard frost

Hobo Hilton · Aug 3, 2022

This is the time of year when I know what failed and what produced. Always something to learn.

TheHorta · Aug 3, 2022

And… marry a woman who knows how to raise a proper garden and can the goods!

supercorndogs · Aug 3, 2022

Pictures circa 1972.

There are lots of ways to store potatoes that will keep them until the next growing season. Sweet potatoes are even easier, just put them in a cardboard box. I still have some from last year. They are growing but still fine. You can also eat the foliage on sweet potato plants all year long.

It takes multiple growing seasons of collecting and saving seeds form a variety for it to acclimate to your climate. Some plants never will. Sometimes there is just something in your environment that certain varieties may not like.

TheHorta · Aug 3, 2022

supercorndogs said:
Pictures circa 1972.

There are lots of ways to store potatoes that will keep them until the next growing season. Sweet potatoes are even easier, just put them in a cardboard box. I still have some from last year. They are growing but still fine. You can also eat the foliage on sweet potato plants all year long.

You dissin’ my country kitchen decor? Them’s fightin’ words with my wife — and I have a .50 cal.

Jgunner · Aug 3, 2022

I am green in gardening, have natural fertilizer on hand, i have issues getting stuff to fruit, plenty of flowers. Tomato and squash i stuggle with. Peppers i have always done well with but this year the plants have been growing slowly and no fruit yet. Got a late start though and soil was not ammended well and that caused much of my issues. I have local growers who seem to have a good base knowlege but i have had no time to sit down with them and listen. Starting off small right now but have an acre i want to plant on when i finally know wtf i am doing.

Hobo Hilton · Aug 3, 2022

Jgunner said:
I am green in gardening, have natural fertilizer on hand, i have issues getting stuff to fruit, plenty of flowers. Tomato and squash i stuggle with. Peppers i have always done well with but this year the plants have been growing slowly and no fruit yet. Got a late start though and soil was not ammended well and that caused much of my issues. I have local growers who seem to have a good base knowlege but i have had no time to sit down with them and listen. Starting off small right now but have an acre i want to plant on when i finally know wtf i am doing.

Patience and persistence... Mother Nature can be a stern teacher.

Jgunner · Aug 3, 2022

Hobo Hilton said:
Patience and persistence... Mother Nature can be a stern teacher.

Yes. Its been a rough road so far

BullGear · Aug 3, 2022

TheHorta said:
And… marry a woman who knows how to raise a proper garden and can the goods!

View attachment 7925857
View attachment 7925858

I'm getting ready for my marathon of Green Bean canning. Usually takes me a good 2 or 3 days.

Keeper22 · Aug 3, 2022

Come on you guys, vegetables and fruit come from the grocery store not a garden. The next thing you will say is that meat comes from animals not the grocery store. Of course I am being silly, but many people believe the above statements, I am glad my wife and I were raised by self sustainable people. Our son is 30 years old and put up 3 bushells of peas by himself this year and has enough deer and fish in his freezer to feed us all for awhile.

KYAggie · Aug 3, 2022

TheHorta said:
And… marry a woman who knows how to raise a proper garden and can the goods!

Oh come on Horta, we all know your wife has to do that because you spend every dollar you earn on night vision equipment. She would starve otherwise!

Hobo Hilton · Aug 3, 2022

Jgunner said:
Yes. Its been a rough road so far

I wish I could say it will get easier. Stay with it and it will get more interesting. Knowledge packs light and travels well.

Hobo Hilton · Dec 25, 2022

Are You Self-Reliant, Self-Sufficent, or Self-Sustaining?, by Mrs. Alaska

Are You Self-Reliant, Self-Sufficent, or Self-Sustaining?, by Mrs. Alaska. I tried to shave off a number of products we used to buy.

survivalblog.com

Hobo Hilton · Dec 25, 2022

When your potato crop fails.... Look into this.

Beware, Sprout Inhibitor Chemicals

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