Posted: 8/10/2009 2:18:21 PM EDT
| What dind do you have and how do you store them? I am looking at getting some but have no idea what they are called or where to look. |
| a place like this will get you on the right track. this is not an endorsement. http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ |
|
Quoted: Is there a "Seeds for Dummies" guide? I checked out HeirloomSeeds, but I had no idea there was such a huge variety of each vegetable. I like the idea of the "Garden Packages", but I cant spend $100+ on seeds right now. just buy the packs in what you would normaly plant. like for me it goes something like this: maybee not as many varieties, but you get the idea. CARROTS (2 varieties): Amsterdam Minicor and Autumn King LETTUCE (5 varieties): Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch, Freckles Romaine, Gourmet Salad Blend, and Mesculin Mix ONION, BUNCHING (1 variety): Evergreen White Bunching i dont plant corn. it takes up too much space and water for the little nutrition you get from it. i think of it as a luxury item. |
|
Quoted:
a place like this will get you on the right track. this is not an endorsement. http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ thanks but 200 bucks is alittle high. but I now know what to look for I think Heirloom seeds right? |
|
Quoted: Quoted: a place like this will get you on the right track. this is not an endorsement. http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ thanks but 200 bucks is alittle high. but I now know what to look for I think Heirloom seeds right? you dont have to spend 200 bucks, just get the seeds you want.... plant the seeds then save the seeds from the fruit and plant again for the rest of you life. you gotta do a little research to find out how to save the seeds. yes Heirloom seeds. |
|
This is where I got our seeds. Baker Creek Seeds
Buy what you like to eat and just store the seeds (in their packages) in a mason jar with a lid until you need to plant them. Works for us. Most of this years tomatoes came from seeds we saved from last years tomatoes. |
|
Just storing the seeds is better than not storing seeds, but you really should try growing some of them before you NEED to grow them. Aside from the good practice, you will also learn which varieties grow best in your area and which ones you like best. Growing some of the heirloom varieties of tomatoes, for example, you might be surprised to find that tomatoes actually have tomato flavor. Some of the older varieties have so much tomato flavor that it's hard to eat the pale plastic things they call tomatoes(which sometimes taste a little bit like a tomato) in the supermarket.
Commercial farmers select the seeds they grow for several different criteria. Years ago, Organic Gardening magazine did some research to see what those criteria were. Having a good taste was down around #6 on the list. More important for commercial growers were things like how tough they were(so they could handle being tumbled and shipped for thousands of miles), how long they could sit on a shelf before they went bad, having a uniform size, looking pretty, and having a uniform ripening time so they all could be harvested around the same time. |
| I would suggest contacting your local extension office and asking about a master gardener group in your county or some type of farmer association. Most of the time its members will be the old timers in the area and ask them what type of heirloom seeds of each variety they grow. These will often be your best bet for your local region. Then ask them where they get them. For $15 you can get local seeds that will keep for three or four years. Even if your germination rate drops to 25% if you've bought enough you'll be fine. Just make sure the seeds are from an heirloom variety and only get one variety of each thing unless you want to study about what cross pollinates and what does not. For example, I once ordered a bunch of seeds from an heirloom company(about $40 worth) and that year my garden sucked. I later found out that their growing farm is in Oregon and they select the best seeds from a farm there. Well I am In GA and what grows there does not stand the heat here. After finding out what all the old timers around here grew, I found out that a small local mom and pop store sells seeds by the pound. I can get a quarter pound of bean seeds for like $2.00. and so forth. The difference is amazing in the production and the health of the plants. Over time the old folks figured out what grows best here and that's what they all grow. (rattlesnake pole beans). And there are some seeds that just will not keep very long no matter how you package them like tomato. Three years max on them. |
|
Quoted:
Go to your local feed and seed and ask them which seed they sell are heirloom, buy those (they will be much cheaper) order the seed you want they don't have. YMMV but it has worked for me for 10 years now. If I stick them in a mason jar and keep it in a relatively cool place, how long will they keep? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Go to your local feed and seed and ask them which seed they sell are heirloom, buy those (they will be much cheaper) order the seed you want they don't have. YMMV but it has worked for me for 10 years now. If I stick them in a mason jar and keep it in a relatively cool place, how long will they keep? I put mine in a coffee can with an open pack of powdered milk. I have gotten 98% germination on seeds that are 5 years old. Yes, heirloom seeds are important. But hybrid seeds can produce stronger plants. So, buy both, just don't save the hybrid seeds. |
|
Quoted:
<snip>Just storing the seeds is better than not storing seeds, but you really should try growing some of them before you NEED to grow them......</snip> AMEN to that. I am on my third year of gardening and I have learned alot about what likes to grow and what does not. This year I have a 40sq ft garden and will expand to 100sq ft next year. I've got some really nice peas, beans and tomatoes coming right now. Learning how to grow, seed and re-grow is probably the #1 skill everyone should know. You don't want to start learning when its too late, because 1 mistake could loose your harvest. Heirloom seeds should be able to feed you forever.....well at least supplement your food for a good long time. |