re survival garden Saving seed

by Kit
(W. Bloomfield, NY USA)

I'm an organic market gardener but have not yet gotten a handle on the process of growing and saving heirloom seed stock. Also, with the crush of work at mid and end of season, it is hard to factor this into the planning cycle.

It seems as though this would have to be an entirely independent project. And, with the references in your article to an over-demand for existing annual hybrid seed stock, this seems to be something we need to jump on right away.

I am at a loss of how to begin.

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hi Kit

I know just what you mean about overwhelm, and you are exactly correct that seed saving is a whole separate project. I'm starting with the easiest - potato, corn, beans, squash - as in my Survival Garden Planning article.

I just recently found an excellent reference on survival gardening and seed saving, highly recommended as the author takes you step by step through the process for the crops shown above. the book is 'The Resilient Gardener' by Carol Deppe, from Chelsea Green Publishing.

Also, remember you don't have to do it all yourself. There are a couple little 'boutique' seed growers in my area, that feature heirloom, open-pollinated and usually organic seed. I'm forming relationships with them in advance of the Big Mess, in the hopes we can be of mutual benefit after. You might seek out similar in your area.

best regards,

Scott