Seeds

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

one of my favorite seed sellers- Baker Creek Heirlooms- all open pollinated seeds, fairly reasonable, and reliable.

https://www.rareseeds.com

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

this one has many heirlooms that are suitable for dryland farming, expecially in the Southwest. many calorie crops that should be fairly dependable in adverse conditions.

Native Seeds SEARCH

http://www.nativeseeds.org/v2/default.php

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

this company is working on perennial grains-for the advanced or adventurous gardener with room and reasonable climate, they have some very interesting varieties to trial
Peters Seed and Research

http://www.pioneer-net.com/psr/

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

wonderful seeds from an ethicla and reliable source. Unfortunately, only our Canadian friends will benefit, they are no longer shipping to the US I wish I had known before that happened, I'd have purchased quite a bit of their stuff to tide me over until I could produce seed on several of their outstanding varieties myself.

http://www.saltspringseeds.com/

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

probably the most affordable of the catalog sites, with reasonable shipping also. Reliable, I've been dealing with them for many years. Best place to buy row covers and most supplies, best prices I've found

Pinetree Garden Seeds

https://www.superseeds.com

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

Medicinal and Culinary Herbs. This is my first year dealing with this company, but Ive heard good reports of their seeds. My order came promptly and correctly this month.

https://www.thymegarden.com

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

I just bought my first Heirloom seeds yesterday and am looking forward to using them - and trying to save the seeds.

They were available in a local Fred Meyer.

.

[Mellie]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

This is where our family has gotten heirloom seeds:

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/browse_category.asp?UID=&category_id=3

I don't know how they compare in price to other places. Delivery was prompt. The seeds are growing...

[Mellie]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

For those who do not know what heirloom plants are, here's info from wikipedia. Basically they're plants you can gather seeds from and the seeds will produce the same plant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_plant
Heirloom plant

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Only a few of the many varieties of potato are commercially grown; others are heirlooms.




An heirloom plant is an open-pollinated cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture. Since most popular heirloom plants are vegetables, the term heirloom vegetable is often used instead. The trend of growing heirloom plants in gardens has been growing in popularity in the United States and Europe over the last decade.


Before the industrialization of agriculture, a much wider variety of plant foods was grown for human consumption. In modern agriculture in the Industrialized World, most food crops are now grown in large, monocultural plots owned by corporations. In order to maximize consistency, few varieties of each type of crop are grown. These varieties are often selected for their productivity, their ability to withstand the long trips to supermarkets, or their tolerance to drought, frost, or pesticides. Flavor and variety are frequently secondary concerns. Heirloom gardening can be seen as a reaction against this trend. In the Global South, heirloom plants are still widely grown, for example in the home gardens of South and Southeast Asia, although their future is uncertain.

Growing heirloom plants may help increase the genetic variation of crops.




Heirloom growers have different motivations. Some people grow heirlooms for historical interest, while others want to increase the available gene pool for a particular plant for future generations. Some select heirloom plants due to an interest in traditional organic gardening. Many simply want to taste the different varieties of vegetables, or see if they can grow a rare variety of plant.


There is no consensus as to how old a plant variety should be before it can be considered an heirloom. Many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can have originated and still be called an heirloom. (That year plant breeders introduced the first hybrids developed from inbred lines.) Some heirloom plants are much older, some being apparently pre-historic. Usually, a plant is not called an heirloom if it is grown widely and commercially, regardless of how old it is.


To be an heirloom, a plant must be "open-pollinated", meaning it will grow "true to type" from seed. This excludes nearly every hybrid. Open pollination allows the same cultivar to be grown simply from seed for many generations.


Heirloom roses are sometimes collected from cemeteries, where they were once planted at gravesites by mourners and left undisturbed in the decades since.

[LMonty]

Re: The Right Seeds are Imperatives and not so expensive

those cheap little seed packets that many stores sell- often 0.10 or 0.25 USD- are good for something. I buy bunches of them each year. Not muhc good for calorie crops like corn, because although they ussually are open pollinated (Golden Bantam seems the usual strain in these, its a good one) but there are way too few seeds in them to matter. the more expensive packets may be cheaper. check the weights if you have both in your hand to see.

I keep a bunch of them as backups.
I just planted a bunch of them, 2, 3 years old packets, to see how they'll do. Just a foot or two of row of each type. That way, if they come up and flourish- great- I'll have some early carrots, peas, lettuce etc. If not, and the cold gets them- no great loss! I keep my more expensive seed to plant in a couple of weeks when the weather is better.

This way I get to push the seasons, without risking losing my main croops, I rotate my seed that way, and also have fun challenging the elements. Its always neat to win, and have a crop come in long before the neighbors. (I'm just a little competitive when it comes to gardening, I guess)And if TSHTF- I'll still have plenty of seed to share, in the small inexpensive packages. I have a couple of dozen packages from last year that I havent planted yet-they'll go in next year, or perhaps some will be a late summer planting to see if I can get one last crop in.... This year, I'll pick up a couple of dollars worth, that will probalby get planted out in about 2 years....

onion seed just doesnt last- maybe 2 years, something to keep in mind. dont depend on allium seed to last at all. i buy that new each year... Beans, peas and a few others do fine even 4 and sometimes 5 years old evemn though germination rates drop considerably(one pound of pea seed I had from my Y2k preps worked for me each year until the 1996 season when germination wasnt good at all- @ 10%). Just plant your old seed a little thicker to compensate for lower germ rates.

Do you consider seed a "prep" item, and keep it in stock? Do you know how much you need? How do you "rotate" your seed preps?