Survival seed packages
I have heard advertising for these and have seen them for sale at various stores.
The universal claim is that they will yield a half-acre of Non-GMO nutrition and in their sealed can, the seeds will be viable for up to ten years.
They generally retail for about $60.
I have a real problem with these... First of all,
some seeds do last a long time but some (corn, leek, onion, parsnip) are notoriously short-lived while others (broccoli, cabbage, celery, cucumber, kale, lettuce, radish and spinach) will remain viable for a long time. Yes, there are some techniques that you can use to greatly extend these storage times but when you are talking about a #10 can full of seeds retailing for $60 bucks, I would bet that these techniques have not been practiced.
My other gripe is that these are one-size-fits-all. Within each species of plant, there are variations that work better in warmer / cooler / drier / wetter climates and you will get a much better yield by choosing the varietals that are suitable for your own climate.
I purchased 80% of my seeds from a
Uprising Organics. They are about 20 miles away from me so things that grow well for them will grow well for me. We are in a solid Zone 7a whereas other parts of the United States enjoy much warmer or colder winters. What grows well for me will not work for other locations.
If you are interested in planting a survival garden, understand these two things:
#1) - When the shit hits the fan, it only has a 25% chance of hitting during the spring. Any other season will be much less than optimal for starting a garden. If you want to start a garden, start it now.
#2) - Talk to local gardeners, nurseries, etc... and find out what works for your area. See if there are local community gardens, seed exchanges -- you can get a lot of really good seeds and plant starts for a lot less than $60. Also, if you are using the resources of an established community garden or seed exchange, show up at their work parties -- you will burn off some calories, learn a lot and pay it back.
Here is an
excellent article on seed saving -- the
magazine in question is one of the best for practical knowledge.
Posted by DaveH at April 12, 2013 8:07 PM