A sustainable farming plan or maintain seed storage is crucial for any long-term survival plan. At the time of writing, the IMF has warned the world will be facing the worst economic crisis after the great depression due to COVID – 19 virus outbreak. So writing this seemed timely to maintain seed storage for survival gardening.
In this article, we’ll mainly focus on
Seed types we can store
Storage
Cultivation
Maintenance of the seed cycle
Some countries believed to have seed storages to be used after a worst-case scenario and The Global Seed Vault is the biggest among the known.
Norway has a government-funded seed vault known as the global seed vault. In it more than 980,000 samples are currently stored and 2.5 billion seeds can be stored at maximum. Its mission is to allow the world to have a fresh start in the face of natural or man-made disasters.
What are the best seeds to store for survival gardening?
Picking up seeds for a survivalist seed storage is somewhat personal, But below are the main points you need to consider.
Think about the answer to – What will your family eat after all grocery stores are closed?
When you are planning the seed storage mainly consider:
Best taste
Large size
Appeals to you
Nutrition
There could be fruits, vegetables your whole family may reject. Too small in size and doesn’t appeal to your family members are not good choices as well. We consider this factor first because the family you feed has to enjoy the meal they get especially when there is no Netflix to chill and when all play areas are closed. We need to focus on nutrition like we do when we are shopping.
Your general growing area has to be compatible with your selected seeds. Quality seed storage has to be diversified. It is recommended to change the cultivation to keep a fertilized soil and a good harvest.
Always choose heirloom over hybrids and GMO seeds. Heirloom has complete genetic stock while hybrids have a genetic shortfall.
Among other things, your harvest has to be sufficient for your family consumption, storage, and sale. You can use your excess harvest to sell/exchange for other essentials. So you need to think about the size of the harvest as well.
Maintain the Seed Storage for survival gardening
A generally healthy storage cycle is 3 to 5 years. You will get the best germination using fresh seeds. Cultivate the existing and replace seeds in the storage. Under perfect conditions, most seeds can be stored for 30 years or so. But it would be a waste if you don’t have the best results in the time of need.
To keep the cycle going label the year when you add them to the storage. Plant them when they are older than 3 years. It’s an added advantage to know the cultivation of your choice.
It is recommended if the home seed storage is located in a dark, dry environment. Seeds should not get contacted with moisture. By keeping stable light, moisture and temperature your seeds last much longer.
Put them in zip bags or other seal-type bags, glass, or sealed jars for extra security.
Finding Seeds for Your Home Survival Seed Storage
Well, the good news is it is not going to cost you a fortune to pack seed storage. You should be able to buy seeds of your choosing from your local supermarket and a packet should not be more than a 4$. There are survival seed vault packets in the market as well.
When you start growing you can start to maintain the storage with your seeds. Get seeds from ripe fruit and vegetables, dry them, and store them.
Soil and Fertilizers to maintain survival gardening
When you keep growing in the same soil harvest will depreciate as the trees keep absorbing the nutrition.
This is why we need to keep fertilizing the soil. Now the next question is ‘Should I store fertilizers as well?’ The answer is No. End of the world or not, the best healthy fertilizers are organic. Use compost to fertilize the soil. Anything degradable can be used as fertilizers. Simple compost bins can supply you with healthy fertilizers throughout the year.
When cultivating, don’t plant the same seeds in the same place. Cycle the pots or beds as well. This keeps the nutrition balance in the soil.
Norway has a government-funded seed vault known as the global seed vault. In it more than 980,000 samples are currently stored and 2.5 billion seeds can be stored at maximum. Its mission is to allow the world to have a fresh start in the face of natural or man-made disasters.
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