As you can see, I am still working my way through this thread and haven’t gotten far-probably never finish if I keep finding things that make me answer. I save many, many of my own seeds. Have been doing this for years and years. If I haven’t spent any money for them, I can experiment. I read that hybrids can revert and not be the same from year to year but I have had good luck so far. I get my seeds out early and check the germination by putting about 20 on a damp paper towel and putting in a warm place-then when they germinateI check the percentage that are good and if it isn’t over 60%, I don’t use them. Almost never fail to get over 60%. I too, have a favorite seed co. This company buys seeds from local growers so I know they will thrive in my cold climate (Maine). Also this company has many of my old favorites. I must say that I do prefer the sugar-enhanced corn varieties. Corn is by far my most favorite veggie. I cook extra every meal and cut the lefovers off the cob and freeze. It tastes like fresh when thawed. I can use it so many ways. Corn chowder, shepards pie, corn casseroles, corn fritters and I make a one dish meal with rice, corn, chicken and BBQ sauce that is even better the next day. When corn is ready, we eat it for two meals every day. Hubby puts the water on and I run out and pick it (don’t trust anyone but myself to gauge just the correct ripeness) and into the pot it goes. Can’t beat that for freshness!!!!
I save loads and loads of flower seeds for my huge flower beds. I know flowers are not a survival item, but some days it seems as if that small bouquet on the coffee table helps me survive to another day. Cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, portulaca and many, many other flower seeds can be saved very successfully. I have seeds over 5 years old and they still have a good germination rate.
For several years I planted a pick your own bouquet garden . Hubby and I planted over 12,000 plants every year which we grew in our greenhouse along with veggies. Never made much money but did my heart good to see elderly people and children roaming among the flowers picking their own bouquets.
Enough! I ramble on. Got to get back and see if I can finish reading this thread.
Never made much money but did my heart good to see elderly people and children roaming among the flowers picking their own bouquets.
Enough! I ramble on. Got to get back and see if I can finish reading this thread.<<<
My sister calls flowers soul food.
I have often thought that God invented them, so we would have a little beauty, in a world of toil and often of worry and tears.
No, you are not supposed to finish reading this thread, it is meant to grow every day and keep going, of course some stuff will get repeated, and that is often good, for I tend to speed read and do not always recall it all the next day or year from now.
I agree that it tastes better if you grew it, to me squash is a good example, the difference between the store and garden is amazing, so are tomatoes.
Which seed company do you use, it is ok to post the info here.
We don’t have an “off topic rule”, or a no links rule, it is meant to supply us with the information that we need to learn how to survive.
Survival means many things to different people, right now, I like many on a tight budget, find surviving todays prices to be the most important thing.
Tomorrow, that could change and a storm or terror show up and then survival will mean something entirely different to me.
Glad to have you with us, it is a wonderful group of people and there is room for more.
I am reading through this thread and am only about 1/8 of the way through... we have a local farmer who grows organic row crops (he also has orchards and vineyards but that’s the norm here in California). Anyway, my raw foods group coordinator says he is having a really hard time getting heritage seeds these days, that he is afraid he won’t be able to get enough to reliably run his farm. She said Monsanto is buying up seeds and we think they are patenting them so they can control the food supply in the future.
Have you (or anyone) heard anything about this? I am going to search further to learn more.