Time To Buy Seeds

[JohnyMac]

Have any of you seen the shelves of late in your grocery store? Have any of you seen the hundreds of container ships anchored off LA Harbor? Do you think you will wait till the early spring to buy your vegetable seeds? Will you buy heirloom or basic hardware store seeds? There is a drought happening west of the Mississippi river, how will this affect vegetable's later this year?

In my opinion, we are moving from the pandemic drama to a economic drama. The Build, Back, Better agenda AKA as, The Great Reset needs to happen to save the world - Right? Moving on...

I placed my new seed order yesterday to the tune of $200-. I use Baker Creek Seeds and Johnny's Seeds. Both companies sell primarily, heirloom seeds.

I save my seeds from year to year. I use Suzanne Ashworth's book, Seed to Seed to guide me in collecting the seeds from my heirloom vegetables.

The members of my home MAG and I trade seeds that they collect from their vegetables. Why do we do this you might ask? To keep the strains strong.

When I start the seeds in the late winter under lights, I mix the three strains together. My seeds from last year, my neighbor's seeds, and then the seeds I bought. Using Amish paste tomatoes as an example...

My goal is to grow twenty-four Amish paste seedlings for the garden. I plant 10 of my seeds from last year, 10 seeds from my neighbor's seeds from last season, and 10 seeds from one of my heirloom purchases. The extra seedlings are insurance. I plant the strongest and the rest I give away. This formula is used for all my heirloom seedlings.

What did I buy and what do I have on hand...

Rutabagas (Keep better than turnips)
Tomatoes
    Amish Paste
    German pinks
    Brandywine
    Cherry tomatoes that i grow in a pot on the porch. Easy access for MrsMac
Bush Beans
Sweet Peppers
Hot peppers
     Jalapenos
     Hungarian
Carrots
     Typically, Short body better to grow in rocky soil
Cucumbers
     Boston Pickling
     Garden variety
Potatoes
     I use my left-over potatoes as seed Usually red potatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Lettuce
     Butter head
     Mixed spring
Radishes
Watermelon
Assorted herbs, some are
     Parsley
     Cilantro
     Dill
     Thyme
     Oregano
Winter Squash
     Acorn
     Butternut
     Jack o' Lantern Pumpkin
There are others...

The reason for the extra seeds that I bought in part, is to help my MAG, my neighbors, and my friends. If I can help to keep them fed, I will have less chance of becoming a statistic caused by a scoped deer rifle one morning as I tend the garden. Seeds are also a good barter item.

Bottom-line, buy your heirloom seeds today. Do not wait till the spring when suddenly other folks are going to figure out that they better raise some/most of their vegetable's. Don't be the person that snaps out of their Normalcy Bias and runs to the store to buy toilet paper. Whoops. The guy just before you bought the last roll.

Thoughts from you experienced preppers/gardeners?







 
 

[Nemo]

I bought and planted a Hungarian Pepper plant last year.  Them some hot things.  More going out than in methinks.  If you don't like hot ones, consider yourself advised.

Nemo

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Learn to prepare, store and use your own seeds at the end of the year. Think 'heirloom' seeds when you buy. WE have been doing this with the asparagus beans and other plants which grew BEST in our garden so that each year the seeds and the plants which grow from them are increasingly optimized for local conditions.

Also, canning supplies.  Remember that fresh food and food on the shelf 'canned' is a great insurance policy and TASTY TOO!

Sir John Honeybucket

[Jackalope]

    We purchased our seeds early this year, most of them before the end of December.  My wife buys seeds throughout the year for her herbs and spice plants.

    We've already got garlic popping out in some of our raised beds.

[Felix]

Regret and excuses don't help any.   Late turns to "never"?
Went to Jonny's Selected Seeds for to order my Conlon two row barley seed and found "Out of Stock".
Not good.
I think there's a whole lot of gardening in people's forebrain this go 'round.
Gee, I wonder why.....

[JohnyMac]

Yupper Felix. Did Johnny's give you the option to take your email and be notified when it comes in/available? If so, did you use that function?

With that written, still try to get what you need from a second source. Better to have too much, than to little. Maybe it is the good Lord's way of saying, "Stock up!"

[Felix]

Nope, didn't see/exercise any options.
Will have another go this evening.   Gott get the Bakker stuff ordered too...   it's still "only" January and running late
Next time I go to the market I'll see if shelves in Flagstaff are as anemic as they were last week, take photo.