Tag Archives: seed saving

Episode-614- Seed Saving, Seed Banks & Seed Storage

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Modern Survival| 15 Comments
Episode-614- Seed Saving, Seed Banks and Seed Storage [ 1:25:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Photo credit to tonrulkens

So yesterday I did a show one could only call alarming about GMOs and the problems they are creating for society in the name of science and supposedly feeding the world.  Though one wonders how putting round up resistant bent grass on golf courses will fee anything?

Today true to the TSP mission I turn to one of the personal solutions to this problem, preserving the genetic diversity of our existing seed stocks.

There is also a ton of confusion in the seed marketplace today about exactly what a GMO is, what a hybrid is and what an “heirloom” seed is.  Without an understanding of this you are vulnerable to a lot of misinformation campaigns designed to sell you things you don’t need or keep you from using some seeds that may really be beneficial to you.

For instance some hybrids may be resistant to a disease that is rampant in your region or allow you to get an earlier start in a region with a short growing season.  Additionally you do want to avoid GMOs and GMO containing foods whenever you can but the risk to seeds used by home gardeners at this time is greatly over exaggerated by those with something to sell you.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Understanding Seed Storage and Seed Types
    • What is a GMO vs. what is a hybrid
    • What is an heirloom vs. what is an open pollinated variety
    • What is the purpose of a commercial seed bank, the positives and negatives
    • Do seeds ever “go bad” or is it not quite that simple
    • What are the enemies to a seeds vitality, what makes for good storage
  • Saving You Own Seeds
    • Selecting fruit/seeds for saving
    • Separation distances and cross pollination
    • Succession planting to avoid cross pollination/hybrid crossing
    • Manual pollination and isolation to ensure purity
    • Resource for specific seed types
  • Building Personal Seed Vaults
    • Remember the enemies of seed storage (light, heat, moisture)
    • Oxygen free is NOT the way to be
    • Ziplock vs. mylar vs. containers vs. envelopes
    • Consider how long you really need to store seeds
    • Focus on what grows fast and what provides calories
    • Remember some seeds are food and some food is seed
    • Buying seeds is a good investment – Start with out supporters
    • Trading is another great way to add stock and diversity (local rocks)
    • Why you should join Seed Savers Exchange

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Emergency Seed Banks and Open Pollinated vs Hybrid vs GMO

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Modern Survival| 17 Comments

In this video I don’t just review the emergency seed bank from Directive21.com I dispel many myths about GMOs vs. Hybrid Variety seeds.  Emergency seed vaults are in my view an outstanding addition to your long term preps but the hype in the emergency seed industry is really misleading.  Tune into this video for hard and somewhat harsh facts about emergency seed products and the real reasons to invest in them vs. the fear based marketing of many other manufactures.

Having seeds is a vital part of preparation and survival. One really great seed bank is the seed bank that comes with 37,000 seeds or 1.4 Lbs of Non-Hybrid seeds, sealed in an airtight military grade Seed Vault from Directive21.com  You can find this seed bank at www.directive21.com/emergencyseedbank.html

The Seed Bank Contains

  • Beans, Kentucky Wonder brown Pole – 580 seeds
  • Beets, Detroit Dark Red – 1350 Seeds
  • Broccoli, Waltham 29 -­ 950 Seeds
  • Cabbage, Golden Acre – 3100 Seeds
  • Cantaloupe, Hale’s Best – 250 Seeds
  • Carrot, Scarlet Nantes – 10330 Seeds
  • Corn, Golden Bantam – 675 Seeds
  • Cucumber, Straight 8 – 460 Seeds
  • Onion, Utah Sweet Spanish – 4200 Seeds
  • Pea, Lincoln – 640 Seeds
  • Pepper, Yolo Wonder – 1250 Seeds
  • Spinach, Bloomsdale Longstanding – 800 Seeds
  • Squash Zucchini, Black Beauty – 130 seeds
  • Swiss Chard, Lucullus – 870 Seeds
  • Tomato, Rutgers – 1750 Seeds
  • Parsnip, Harris Model – 1250 Seeds
  • Winter Squash, Waltham Butternut – 260 Seeds
  • Winter Squash, Pink Banana Jumbo – 45 Seeds
  • Radish, Champion – 1420 Seeds
  • Lettuce Leaf, Black Seeded Simpson – 3000 Seeds
  • Lettuce Romaine, Paris Island – 3000 Seeds
  • Pepper, Jalapeno – 1500 Seeds
  • Watermelon, Crimson Sweet Jumbo – 185 Seeds
  • (Seed counts are approximate based on weight)

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Episode-524- Developing Personal Seed Vaults

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Modern Survival| 3 Comments
Episode-524- Developing Personal Seed Vaults [ 1:07:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Governments, corporations and international organizations are all developing “seed vaults” for many reasons.  One is that seeds in and of themselves are life, they feed us and they are the way species of plants survive and continue to propagate themselves.  Second while telling us that GMO crops are safe, they are acutely aware of the damage potential they pose and the potential for entire varieties of plants to be wiped out by cross pollination with GMO based crops.  Third due to monopolization and marketing by seed companies many varieties are simply no longer being grown and due to that the variety is in danger of extinction and forever being lost to history.  Fourth seeds are the ability to produce food and energy and energy and food are forms of wealth.

Join me today as I discuss….

  • The why behind personal seed vaults
  • How seeds are first order wealth that can produce second order wealth
  • Some seeds are food and some foods are seed
  • Tiny seeds equal massive storage potential
  • Buying seeds at the end of the season (yes but)
  • Rotational planting varieties to keep fresh stock
  • Developing stocks of “wild seed”
  • The enemies of seed (light, moisture, heat)
  • Rice is a cheap and effective desiccant
  • Understanding “germination rates”
  • Getting seeds in exchanges
  • Learning more about saving seeds
  • Open pollination vs heirloom vs hybrid vs GMO
  • Planting on foreign soil (guerrilla and borrowed land)

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air

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Episode-418- Audience Feedback for 4-16-10

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Modern Survival| 21 Comments
Episode-418- Audience Feedback for 4-16-10 [ 1:07:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I still am sitting on a huge back log of questions and inputs from my week away so I though I would do some catching up for you today.  Additionally some recent shows have provoked a few questions/concerns/objections that I thought I would handle today as well.

I have also been asked on the forum to do a show called “The Best of the Tin Foil Hat Brigade”, discussing the possible reality behind some conspiracy theories.  That may be a bit much for an entire show if such theories are not your thing so today I will pick one or two from that thread and give you my opinion (note the word OPINION) on them.

Tune in today to discuss…

  • Barter is reportable as income to the IRS – SO WHAT!
  • Do I “hate government” and want all things turned over to the corporations
  • Is there anything at all behind the 9-11 Truther Movement
  • Is now a good time to buy gold and silver given their current pricing
  • How much longer will vacuum sealed seeds store than conventionally stored
  • Fluoride is a toxin?  Yes!
  • Buying metal online or locally and the sales tax effect

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-383- 10 Uncommon Edible Plants for Every Backyard

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Modern Survival| 19 Comments
Episode-383- 10 Uncommon Edible Plants for Every Backyard [ 1:13:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we discuss 10 edible plants that are not very common in most backyards or stores and the unique advantages they offer the modern survivalists concerned with producing their own food.  Each of these plants offers unique advantages to the backyard and small homestead grower.  Advantages such as good nutritional profiles, disease resistance, ease in seed saving, heat tolerance and more.

Note that the seed sources below are comprised of many sources.  You can get many of these seeds from multiple providers.  I just wanted the opportunity today to expose you today to a variety of solid providers of organic and non GMO seed.

Join me today as we discuss the following unusual edible plants…

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-252- Let’s Start Getting Ready for Fall

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Modern Survival| 25 Comments
Episode-252- Let's Start Getting Ready for Fall [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I know it is over 100 degrees in many places right now, the pool is even getting to warm right?  Fall is a million miles away, I am here to day, no sir it isn’t.  For many fall is less then 60 days away, in many instances the cool fall air and the changes with it are only 30 days out.  It is time to start thinking about fall and winter expecially with your gardens.

In the intro segment I announce Nancy Pelosi as “assclown of the day” for her swastika comments.  I also recognize a group of retired people as “heroes of the day” for standing up as members of the AARP and not being walked on by the far younger people that were dictating to the members how they should think.

Then before the main subject I do a review of the Kaito Voyager Radio, my recommendation is do not buy this.  Tune in for full details today, it isn’t all bad I just don’t think you are going to get your money’s worth at this price point.

Tune in Today to Hear….

  • The bounty is comming how will you store it
  • Is it time for you to break down and buy that canner or dehydrator
  • Start thinking about saving seeds
  • How you can get free food and free seed right in the middle of most cities soon
  • How to get free peach seeds, free agave seed and free yucca seed
  • How to use cuttings before the killing frost to propagate peppers and tomatos for next year
  • Time for winter legumes for harvest or even just green manure
  • Winter humus from fava beans
  • Storing some items is easy, just leave them in the ground
  • Now is the time to start plants for your fall crops
  • Harvesting firewood from trees via “topping”
  • How to get a HOA to consider allowing chickens (I hope, God but I do hate HOAs) Check with the “chicken whisperer“

Resources for today’s show…

I left up these videos on Safe Deposit Boxes from Yesterday,  You Really Should View Them Both

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.

You also now can call in questions or comments for the host at 866-65-THINK, (866-658-4465) please read the suggestions for calling in before you do for the best chance of getting your comments on the air.

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Episode-180- Survival Podcast Listener Calls 4-15-09

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Modern Survival| 7 Comments
Episode-180- Survival Podcast Listener Calls 4-15-09 [ 38:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join me today as I take calls from the audience on a variety of questions.  Enjoy the enhanced audio today as I will be back podcasting from the car tomorrow.

Tune in to hear…

  • What should you do with your tax return?  Spend it to stimulate the economy or save it?
  • What about emergency kits?   How do you create one, what goes in them?
  • How do you plan multiple routes out of your city and what about new features from Google maps?
  • When and how do you plant in areas with long cold winters like Wyoming?
  • What steps do you take when you travel long distance by air to be as prepared as possible for a SHTF when far from home, family and friend?
  • Can old pancake mix be dangerous?  The answer may surprise you.
  • What is top priority?  Debt reduction?  Prepping?  Or saving cash?
  • Can you capture and domesticate wild bees?  Should you?
  • What should you do to get started saving seeds?

Resources for this podcast,

Daily House Cleaning Items

Resource Links for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.

You also now can call in questions or comments for the host at 866-65-THINK, (866-658-4465) please read the suggestions for calling in before you do for the best chance of getting your comments on the air.

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Episode-23- The Role of Heirloom Vegetables in Survival Planning

Posted on July 25, 2008 by Modern Survival| 8 Comments
Episode-23- The Role of Heirloom Vegetables in Survival Planning [ 30:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we discuss heirloom vegetables and their unique role in survival planning. Tune in to today’s show to learn…

  • The danger we face from “Monsantisation” of our food supply
  • How Monsanto has used hybrids and patents to control agriculture across the globe
  • The difference between heirloom seed, hybrid seed and genetically altered seed
  • How you can build better strains of vegetables that are highly adapted to your region, naturally
  • The need to keep proper distances to prevent natural hybridization of your heirloom plants
  • How seed saving creates greater independence and sustainability
  • How to select the best starting stock for your seed requirements
  • The advantage that the home gardener has over the small scale farmer
  • The importance of adding composting to your gardening plan
  • The need for legumes in organic gardening

Remember that this podcast is not a lecture it is a conservation. Comment, suggest topics and let me know what you want to hear next.

P.S. – Remember to enter and participate in our Listener Appreciation Contest where you can win a free iPod Nano or another cool prise.

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