As long as you keep the seeds dry they will last a long time. I keep
mine in a plastic one gallon container in the fridge and have viable
seeds that are up to ten years old. You can even freeze them if you seal
them in a container, used to keep heirloom field pea seeds that way. I
keep all the seeds in the containers in paper envelopes, the smaller
batches in el cheapo coin envelopes, the rest in el cheapo small size
mailing envelopes. YMMV

George

old_codger wrote:


North wrote:

Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.



Ok, thanks north. I think Alan Connor posted something on this a
while ago but I can't seem to find it.
We'll see what the other groups can add.

Thanks.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 14:05:03 GMT, old_codger said:

I want to stock up on seeds to keep in store in case needed but I have a
few questions.

How long do they keep?

Depends on the seed. Some die immediately (... coffee), some can sprout
after hundreds of years (... mullein).

What kinds of seeds to get for veriety in food source.

What kinds of vegetables and root crops do you like?

What king to get to make sure the crop also produces seeds so the supply
will be ongoing. (Non-hybrid?)

You want heirloom seeds. That is, NON-hybrid.

Hybrids, well, they work if you have nothing else, and if you have a
steady supply to buy more when what you have is gone, but be aware that
hybrid offspring will look nothing much like the parent(s).

Where is a good source for the initial purchase?

Your local garden center / feed store.
They'll have types that thrive in YOUR climate.

What you really want is to get a garden going. Then you can see in
practice what you're now asking in theory.
And the best way to keep seeds, long-term, is on a succession of live
plants.

Nothing to do with preserving, so I've removed that bit.

Henriette

--
Henriette Kress, AHG * * * * * * * * * * *Helsinki, Finland
Henriette's herbal homepage: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed

North wrote:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:54:09 GMT, old_codger said:



North wrote:

Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.


Ok, thanks north. I think Alan Connor posted something on this a
while ago but I can't seem to find it.
We'll see what the other groups can add.

Thanks.

You might give the yahoogroup "Organic Homesteading Gardening" a try.

http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/or...adinggardening

As for me, I hit the garden supply store when they have their big end
of year sale. I buy the regular seed packs (envolopes) and I store
them in a jar with a few O2 absorbers the lid sealed tight of course
and kept in the dark. After 5 years the seeds still sprout and grow,
YMMV. I think the trick for long term seed storage is the same as long
term grain storage, where O2 and water are the enemy (alone with
light).

I have no clue if the seeds I buy and store are non-hybrid or not and
if their seeds will sprout. I just buy enough seed to last 20 or so
years, of course I rotate these every chance I get (while we still
have places to buy seeds, ect...)


What do you buy. Just a mix of veggies and grains?

Henriette Kress wrote:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 14:05:03 GMT, old_codger said:

I want to stock up on seeds to keep in store in case needed but I have a
few questions.

How long do they keep?

Depends on the seed. Some die immediately (... coffee), some can sprout
after hundreds of years (... mullein).

What kinds of seeds to get for veriety in food source.

What kinds of vegetables and root crops do you like?

What king to get to make sure the crop also produces seeds so the supply
will be ongoing. (Non-hybrid?)

You want heirloom seeds. That is, NON-hybrid.

Hybrids, well, they work if you have nothing else, and if you have a
steady supply to buy more when what you have is gone, but be aware that
hybrid offspring will look nothing much like the parent(s).

Where is a good source for the initial purchase?

Your local garden center / feed store.
They'll have types that thrive in YOUR climate.

What you really want is to get a garden going. Then you can see in
practice what you're now asking in theory.
And the best way to keep seeds, long-term, is on a succession of live
plants.


I do a garden every year but it's just veggies, peppers and the like.
No grains.

Xref: kermit misc.survivalism:556713 rec.gardens:271732 rec.gardens.edible:69506

old_codger wrote:

I do a garden every year but it's just veggies, peppers and the like.
No grains.

The seeds in bird feed generally sprout, and are edible. (Not real
palatable.) Not any good for bread unless you add the right grains,
but they'll do for supplying calories and baiting in quail and dove.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 20:30:32 +0300, Henriette Kress
wrote:


Where is a good source for the initial purchase?

Your local garden center / feed store.
They'll have types that thrive in YOUR climate.

I don't know where the original poster is located, but this
sure hasn't been true in my experience in several states in
the northeastern USA. Local garden centers have a very,
very poor selection of seeds and not particularly suited to
the area either.

To the O.P.: since you have (or someone else has, maybe)
included 'misc.survivalism', I will assume you want to keep
these seeds a long time for some survivalist purpose or
other.

If I wanted to do this, I'd buy non-hybrid garden seeds
dry-packed in cans for very long storage. For the grains,
you can just buy grains that are sold for people to eat:
also in cans or 5-gallon buckets, and nitrogen-packed,
suitable for long storage.

One place that carries such seeds and grains, packed in cans
is:

http://www.waltonfeed.com

This would be a good place for your initial purchase.

What you really want is to get a garden going. Then you can see in
practice what you're now asking in theory.
And the best way to keep seeds, long-term, is on a succession of live
plants.


Right. This is absolutely correct.

Pat

old_codger wrote in message
...

I do a garden every year but it's just veggies, peppers and the like.
No grains.

There is a very good book about grains. 'Small Scale Grain Raising' by Gene
Logsdon that could give you a good insight into grain crops. And your
Agricultural Extension office as well. Almost all of their literature is
free. And their advice as well.

JonquilJan

Learn something new every day
As long as you are learning, you are living
When you stop learning, you start dying

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:38:25 -0400, North wrote:

Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.

Humm I didn't see the various News group names until I agreed to allow
posting to all of them, which I don't usually do.

misc.survivalism,rec.gardens,rec.food.preserving,r ec.gardens.edible

Janice


On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:34:07 -0400, North said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 14:05:03 GMT, old_codger said:

I want to stock up on seeds to keep in store in case needed but I have a
few questions.

How long do they keep?
What kinds of seeds to get for veriety in food source.
What king to get to make sure the crop also produces seeds so the supply
will be ongoing. (Non-hybrid?)
Where is a good source for the initial purchase?

Thanks for your help.


Old_Dodger,
I crossposted your question over to a couple of groups where the
experts on this subject hang out.

n.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:18:14 -0500, George Shirley
wrote:

As long as you keep the seeds dry they will last a long time. I keep
mine in a plastic one gallon container in the fridge and have viable
seeds that are up to ten years old. You can even freeze them if you seal
them in a container, used to keep heirloom field pea seeds that way. I
keep all the seeds in the containers in paper envelopes, the smaller
batches in el cheapo coin envelopes, the rest in el cheapo small size
mailing envelopes. YMMV

George

yup.... 'cept lettuce, parsnips, think orach seed doesn't keep either.
Usually they only last the season they're purchased for, no longer.
Maybe if there are way better storage facilities than most households,
you might get another year out of them, so you'd have to grow them out
each year and save new seed.

Janice

old_codger wrote:


North wrote:

Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.



Ok, thanks north. I think Alan Connor posted something on this a
while ago but I can't seem to find it.
We'll see what the other groups can add.

Thanks.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 18:38:45 -0600, Janice
said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:38:25 -0400, North wrote:

Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.

Humm I didn't see the various News group names until I agreed to allow
posting to all of them, which I don't usually do.

misc.survivalism,rec.gardens,rec.food.preserving, rec.gardens.edible

Janice

This was originally posted to misc.survivalism. I added the other
groups, The first time I tried to crosspost, the darn computer farted
before I was finished.

n.



On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:34:07 -0400, North said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 14:05:03 GMT, old_codger said:

I want to stock up on seeds to keep in store in case needed but I have a
few questions.

How long do they keep?
What kinds of seeds to get for veriety in food source.
What king to get to make sure the crop also produces seeds so the supply
will be ongoing. (Non-hybrid?)
Where is a good source for the initial purchase?

Thanks for your help.


Old_Dodger,
I crossposted your question over to a couple of groups where the
experts on this subject hang out.

n.

Janice wrote:
On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:18:14 -0500, George Shirley
wrote:


As long as you keep the seeds dry they will last a long time. I keep
mine in a plastic one gallon container in the fridge and have viable
seeds that are up to ten years old. You can even freeze them if you seal
them in a container, used to keep heirloom field pea seeds that way. I
keep all the seeds in the containers in paper envelopes, the smaller
batches in el cheapo coin envelopes, the rest in el cheapo small size
mailing envelopes. YMMV

George


yup.... 'cept lettuce, parsnips, think orach seed doesn't keep either.
Usually they only last the season they're purchased for, no longer.
Maybe if there are way better storage facilities than most households,
you might get another year out of them, so you'd have to grow them out
each year and save new seed.

Janice

old_codger wrote:


North wrote:


Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.



Ok, thanks north. I think Alan Connor posted something on this a
while ago but I can't seem to find it.
We'll see what the other groups can add.

Thanks.


We buy lettuce seed for less than a dime a package, leaf type, and I
have some that are two years old in the box. Planted some for spring and
got about 80% germination, which with lettuce seed is more than adequate.

George

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 20:27:28 -0500, George Shirley
wrote:

Janice wrote:
On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:18:14 -0500, George Shirley
wrote:


As long as you keep the seeds dry they will last a long time. I keep
mine in a plastic one gallon container in the fridge and have viable
seeds that are up to ten years old. You can even freeze them if you seal
them in a container, used to keep heirloom field pea seeds that way. I
keep all the seeds in the containers in paper envelopes, the smaller
batches in el cheapo coin envelopes, the rest in el cheapo small size
mailing envelopes. YMMV

George


yup.... 'cept lettuce, parsnips, think orach seed doesn't keep either.
Usually they only last the season they're purchased for, no longer.
Maybe if there are way better storage facilities than most households,
you might get another year out of them, so you'd have to grow them out
each year and save new seed.

Janice

old_codger wrote:


North wrote:


Lets try this again :-)
Note the groups that were added.
n.



Ok, thanks north. I think Alan Connor posted something on this a
while ago but I can't seem to find it.
We'll see what the other groups can add.

Thanks.


We buy lettuce seed for less than a dime a package, leaf type, and I
have some that are two years old in the box. Planted some for spring and
got about 80% germination, which with lettuce seed is more than adequate.

George

Kewl, where do you get it so cheap?

I planted some I got from last year, won't grow. Never has grown for
me over a year old. No matter how I have stored 'em. *sigh*

Janice

I save my own dill seeds and have successfully got them to germinate with 3yr.
old seeds
Sue in Mi. (zone 5)
Will Spring ever get here??????

To save seeds over time, in the end you have to plant them and
collect the next seasons seeds. It's the only way with seeds that
aren't viable for long. I do a search on 'seedsavers' 'seed banks'
and see what comes up. There are groups around the world who do just
that to keep species alive.
And lo and behold, a nice .edu site :-)

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/stse/handbook.htm
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/stse/store.htm

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~merlyn/seedsaving.html

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 18:38:46 -0600, Janice
wrote:


yup.... 'cept lettuce, parsnips, think orach seed doesn't keep either.
Usually they only last the season they're purchased for, no longer.
Maybe if there are way better storage facilities than most households,
you might get another year out of them, so you'd have to grow them out
each year and save new seed.

I don't know about parsnip and orach seeds' longevity, but I
routinely use lettuce seed that is several years old - it
has very good germination.

Pat