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Table of Contents
Gardening
This page provides information related to gardening with a focus on disaster preparedness.
Heirloom Seeds
Many gardeners prefer heirloom vegetables because they are open-pollinated, which means you can save your own seed to replant from year to year. “Seeds saved from heirloom vegetables will produce plants that are true to type, unlike hybrid seeds. ... “Save those seeds, and you can create your own locally adapted variety.”
Heirloom seeds come from open-pollinated plants that pass on similar characteristics and traits from the parent plant to the child plant. There is no concrete definition that every gardener uses to define heirloom plants. ... Remember, heirloom refers to the heritage of a plant, while organic refers to a growing practice.
Basically there are two main ways to describe your seeds, the genetics of your seeds and how your seeds were grown. Heirlooms are seed varieties that are at least 50 years old, and you can save these seeds and plant them year after year. Heirlooms are never hybrids or GMOs. Hybrids are crosses of heirloom varieties.
Organic seeds are just that – organically grown. In other words, they are grown using sustainable methods from start to finish. No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, all on land that has been cultivated for at least 3 years using the standards established for Certified Organic farming.
Advantages of Heirloom Seeds
- You Can Keep Saving Heirloom Seeds Each Year. ...
- Heirlooms are Guaranteed Non-GMO. ...
- Heirloom Seeds Can Be Organic.
Candidates for the Prepper's Garden
- Trees: - Apple, Peach, Pear, Plum, Cherry
- Trees for Southern Climates: - Orange, Lemon, Lime, Avocado, Grapefruit
- Bushes: - Blueberry, Black Raspberry, Red Raspberry, Gooseberry
- Vines: - Grape, Strawberry, Cucumber, Squash varieties, Eggplant
- Vegetable Plants: - Tomato varieties, Potato varieties, Pepper plant varieties, Onion varieties, Beets, Turnips, Parsnips, Rutabagas, Radishes, Carrots, Celery, Corn varieties, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage varieties, Lettuce varieties
- Herbs: - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Oregano, Basil, Chamomile, Mint, Lemon Balm, Chervil, Hyssop, Valerian, Lovage, Cilantro, Feverfew, Dandelion, Purslane
- Grains: - Wheat, Barley, Rye, Flax, Spelt, Amaranth, Quinoa
- Flowers: - Purple Coneflower, Clover, Zinnia, Marigold
Shelf Life of Seeds
Seeds can have a shelf life from 1-5 years. There is no definite schedule - it is the probability of a seed being productive that varies over time.
To help ensure that seeds will still be viable for the next planting season, it is important to store them in a sealed container/bag in a cool, dark and dry location. Once the next growing season approaches, their vitality can be tested by performing a water or germination test.
For stored seeds you’re considering trying consider the conditions in which they were saved. If it was cool, dry and dark, the seeds have a good chance of germination.
Links
- Heirloom Seed Vendor (PLEASE REVIEW)
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