Today, we have an important part of long-term survival and self-sufficiency: Starting a Survival Seed Bank.
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Some people avoid reading or watching the news because they do not like what is going on in the world. But avoidance can not stop what is coming because you can not control the things that affect the world’s food supply.
There is an impending sense that a major food crisis is on the way, and the government is trying to prepare right now for that crisis. But if you know anything about how the world is run, then you know that if you are not the one in charge of your family’s food supply, you and your loved ones could very well end up standing in a ration line or worse, going hungry.
The first thing to understand when Starting a Survival Seed Bank is why you should have one.
1. Why You Need to Have a Survival Seed Bank
Far too many people have the mistaken belief that if something bad does happen that interrupts their access to food supplies, the government will have a backup plan to save their family.
When millions upon millions of people rely on the same belief that there will be enough to go around, they are going to end up disillusioned. There will not be. The government is not going to be prepared for any major food crisis.
Why? Because they simply can not stockpile enough food to feed millions of people for a long-term situation. You might think that the hope for relief from a food crisis lies at the base of Mount Plateau in the depths of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which houses the world’s biggest seed storage.
But the seeds in this vault will not come to your rescue, and you will not be able to get to those seeds. Take a look in the mirror. You are looking at the person who is your best chance of survival. You must look after yourself and your family because in bad times, no one else will do it for you.
It is up to you to know what to do and to be prepared for any food emergency situation. That means that you are going to need to know how you can live off the grid. When every method of getting food is suddenly stripped away from you, it can not be the catalyst that rocks your world.
You have to have a way to replenish your food supply long-term. Even if you have some canned goods socked away in the event of a food catastrophe, having goods that will last you a few years is not enough.
You have to be able to bring food back in. And if there is no way to get food from a grocery store and the government’s hands are tied, then what are you going to do? You need to be able to have a survival garden that will take care of you and your family’s nutritional needs for many years to come.
You start this by having the seeds that you need to raise a survival garden, and you need to have enough of them to plant a few acres’ worth of food. This means that you need to have the kinds of seeds that have the ability to reproduce themselves.
They will keep on producing for you. And you also want to look for seeds that have not been modified. When you plant seeds from your own seed bank, you can almost guarantee that you will have food year after year, regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world.
By using seeds from the foods you grow (and replanting those once your crops come in), you will ensure that your food supply will continually produce. You want to make sure that you look for seeds that offer a lot of produce return, as well as ones that are high in nutrition and are long lasting.
When Starting a Survival Seed Bank, it is critical that you know exactly what seeds you need to save. Just having a random bunch of seeds will not give you a sustainable garden future.
2. What Seeds You Need to Have in Your Survival Seed Bank
To sustain life, there are certain seeds that are a must have, so the seeds that you buy for your survival seed bank need to have these seeds in the container.
a. You need a variety of beans.
Some of the better varieties are bountiful beans, October beans, and the stringless black Valentine beans. Beans can produce a crop in a time frame of 47 to 90 days, depending on the type of bean seed that you choose to plant.
Beans are staples that provide you with protein as well as fiber. Beans are also very sturdy crops and can produce an abundant supply of food. Because of their protein and fiber content, they can give you plenty of energy.
b. Corn seeds are something that you also need in your survival seed bank. Corn is a staple food that can keep your family sustained for long-term food survival. You will want corn that can grow quickly, in less than three months.
For that, look for seeds like Reid’s Yellow Dent Corn or Stowell’s Evergreen Corn. These usually grow in twin ears with an average length of between 8-10 inches, so they’re very hearty.
c. Cabbage seeds, like the Copenhagen Market ones, need to be in your seed bank. These heads usually grow to be a decent size and can offer gardeners a little over 3 pounds of cabbage per head. They can reach maturity in just over two months.
d. Consider plants that will offer both food quality and medical properties.
When considering which seeds to get for your seed bank, you want to take a look at how those foods will help you maintain good health. You’ll want to look at whether they offer anti-inflammatory properties and other benefits.
If you choose beet seeds like Detroit Dark Red Beets, these are a food loaded with anti-inflammatory benefits for you. Plus, they promote some internal organ benefits, too. These seeds can reach maturity in about two months.
e. Nutritional value and speed of produce.
Remember when your mom told you to eat your greens because they’re good for you? She was right, especially when it comes to spinach grown from Bloomsdale spinach seed.
These will grow into tasty plants that are packed with nutrients, including the A and K vitamins. Plus, they’re rich in Vitamin C and folate. These seeds produce a fast crop, and you can usually have viable plants in about six weeks.
Also, for greens, you’ll want to get loose-leaf lettuce such as Oakleaf or Red Salad Bowl. Both of these seeds can reach maturity in less than two months. Other greens you’ll want to include in your diet are Green Arrow Peas. These can be harvested in about two months and produce an abundant crop.
Cucumbers like Bushy Cucumbers are also a great addition to your survival seed bank. These can be ready for harvest in about six weeks. Carrots are also part of a healthy diet. Seeds that produce Scarlet Nantez Carrots can be ready to eat in a little over two months. This kind can usually produce carrots of about 7” in length.
Tomatoes can be eaten fresh, canned or juiced and ones that come from seeds like Brandywine Tomato. Not only will you get plenty of antioxidants, but these are loaded with vitamins as well.
Squash and Eggplant also add much needed vitamins to your diet. Look for ones like Waltham Butternut Squash and Rossa Bianca Eggplant.
Do not forget to bank plenty of fruit seeds as well, like cantaloupes and melons, and other varieties.
You are going to want to make sure that you have a wide selection of good choices to grow, not just for the vitamin and mineral content, but for the taste and preferences of each family member.
Of course, when Starting a Survival Seed Bank, you will need to know where to buy the best seeds.
3. Where to buy good seeds.
The local feed stores and farmers’ markets will also have a good variety of seeds available. It is best to buy seeds from local sellers. This way, you know that the seeds and plants will grow in your area. Most of the local farmers will be able to tell you if a specific kind of veg or fruit will grow well or if it is a difficult variety for your area.
Never under estimate the knowledge of old farmers they have done it before and will be able to give practical advice that you can use.
You can find great savings by buying the seeds in bulk, as well. There are many farmers coops, farmers markets, feed stores, and the like that buy in large bulk and will sell to you in bulk. This will allow you to stock up your seed bank quickly and economically.
Seeds can also be bought online at specialty companies or online shops. With these kinds of buys, make sure to do your research. Not all seeds and plants that you can buy will do well in your area. And online specialty shops may be much more expensive. Do not forget to calculate shipping as well. Many times, shipping is more than the original order. Unless the seeds you are buying are something extremely special, they may not be worth it.
Another critical part of Starting a Survival Seed Bank is storing your seeds.
4. How to Store Your Seeds
You need your survival seeds in order to start the garden that is going to keep you and your family sustained for however long it takes. Right now, with food still being plentiful and most people able to get whatever they need from the grocery store, seeds are not considered all that valuable.
But when a crisis hits and getting food becomes a free-for-all frenzy, the seeds that you have are going to have a high value. Think of these as your currency and amass as many of them as you possibly can, because once the crisis is here, it is too late, and there will be a run on seeds.
When you have these in your possession, you do not want to go around talking about the fact that you have them. Keep your survival seed bank hidden away, out of sight from prying eyes in order to keep the seeds from getting stolen.
Most survival seeds are shipped to you in packaging that allows them to be kept viable in storage for a long time. Some of these are stored in such a way that you can even bury them to keep them safe.
Seeds need to be protected from bacteria, fungi, pests, fluctuating temperatures, and moisture. The most important issue that you need to know about storing seeds is that moisture is not your friend.
If moisture seeps into your seed storage, it can ruin it. And moisture is not the only culprit that can harm your seeds. If you keep the seeds stored in an area where the temperature is too high, that can cause some damage to the seeds as well.
You want to make sure that the moisture percentage is kept as low as possible. If you can get it to less than 4 percent, that’s considered to be a safe moisture percentage for the seeds.
The storage temperature needs to be kept around 40 degrees. By taking care with how you store the seeds, you can ensure their longevity. You also want to make sure that you don’t keep your seeds anywhere in the sun.
The heat from the sun can change the storage temperature, rising it above what’s healthy for the seeds. If moisture and heat combined get to the seed, then it kills the seed’s ability to grow plants.
When you get the seeds, if they are not in containers that are said to be moisture-proof, then you need to put them in ones that are. When you harvest the crops that you grow from your original survival seeds, you will want to save those seeds as well.
This is an important step in banking seeds, because you do not know if you will have access to anymore once your original supply has been planted.
You will want to air dry the seeds from the crops you harvest and then securely store them in water proof containers in a cool, dark place until it’s time for you to use them.
And of course, when Starting a Survival Seed Bank, you will need to learn how to use those seeds.
5. When and How to Use Your Survival Seed Bank
As you know, timing is everything. That includes knowing when to use your survival seed bank. You don’t want to rush and use the seeds too early, but you don’t want to wait so long that you miss out on the right time.
You need to be aware of which climate zone you live in. Because you can’t just plant seeds and expect them to grow, if the season that you’re currently in only ends up derailing your plans.
All of the seeds should be planted according to the hardiness zone of your state. What this means is that your area will have a certain level of temperatures that make growing a garden with your survival seeds a viable option.
Planting too soon or too late could not only diminish your crop yield, but you could end up not getting any produce at all, and you do not want that kind of waste. Plus, counting on having a food supply and ending up not getting it could be a major problem for you.
Plant your garden during your climate zone using your survival seeds when you begin to notice that a food crisis is imminent. And make sure you plant it before the time is at hand to need it. You can feasibly plant with your survival seeds and keep the garden producing for years.
Remember to aim for a garden that is as carefree as you can make it. You will want to use your survival seeds to plant a garden that will sustain you and your family with as little fuss as possible. Have things set up before you start planting. Know exactly what you have and what those seeds need to produce the best they can. Do your research on the amount of water each of the seed types needs. Know how much fertilizer the variety needs and how much sun it likes.
Set up easy-use watering systems such as olos or soaker hoses. An olo is a pot made of a natural, unsealed material, generally terra cotta. The pot is buried beside a plant and has a top on it. When you need to water the plant, you take the top off the olo and fill it up. Then you replace the top on the olo. The water slowly seeps out of the untreated pottery and waters the plant. This method saves water and is inconspicuous. Soaker hoses can be buried in long plant rows to water plants slowly, also.
You also want to make sure that you plant your seeds in a way that won’t draw attention to whatever it is that you have growing. If others see it, your garden could be a target. This means that you can forget about the kind of gardens that you see that have perfectly uniform rows. Instead, plant a garden using your banked survival seeds and let nature help you grow that garden.
You can also plant other vegetation to help you hide your crops.
Nature is perfectly capable of maintaining crop growth with a minimal amount of effort from you. Lay out the garden so that you’re using the ground wisely. This means that you will want to plant seeds where the crops can grow together in companionship.
You will also want to plant your seeds according to the height and sun ratio. That means that you need to plan out your garden in a way so that each plant has access to the sun as well as to the right amount of moisture.
There are some seeds that offer natural pesticide control. For example, marigold and lavender are both natural pest repellents. Put the taller plants around in a perimeter to help shade crops that need less sun than other plants.
Usually, this means you plant your bush-type crops. If you use crops that can benefit your pollination purposes, this can help your crops grow. Plants that are used for pollination purposes are seeds that produce fruit, like blueberries.
If you don’t really have any experience with growing food, then you are going to want to learn how to do it before the time arrives when you simply must have the knowledge. Remember, in an emergency situation, you may not be able to log onto the Internet to find the answers you need.
The best way to learn how to have a successful garden using survival seeds is by doing it. Just going ahead and getting some seeds and planting a garden. This way, you will already know what to watch for, what did not work, and what does work in preparation for the time that you do need to have the food supply ready to go.
We hope this talk, Starting a Survival Seed Bank, will give you some good info and ideas on how to get started yourself. Starting a Survival Seed Bank is something that will take time, patience, along with trial and error. But the sooner you start, the better.
If you are interested in some of our other talks, please see the ones below.
Month 9: Enhancing Long-Term Sustainability
Starting a Home Garden, Simple and Easy
Methods for Preserving the Harvest
Thank you for visiting, and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.
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