A commonly discussed challenge in the world of survival gardening is the storage of seeds. Seed banks have been on the market for years and offer a simple and easy way to grab an assortment of seeds and “check the box” – for a while. Whether it’s commonly available commercial seed banks or homemade – shelf life has been an issue.
I’ve made my own survival garden seed banks over the years. I’ve bought a few as well. I’ve also tested to see how long seeds will last when kept cool and dry. I found no difference in germination rate between my own seed banks and those purchased. Generally, I’ve had no problem with seeds germinating within 3 years of packaging. After 3 years the germination rate began to drop and with each passing year accelerates. Your own experience may be different. This is just what I’ve seen.
GAMECHANGER: SURVIVAL GARDENING WITH FREEZE DRIED SEEDS
While there are numerous ways to extend the life of fruit and vegetable seeds – freeze-drying is an excellent way to preserve seeds for upwards of 25 years. The folks at Frosty Seed(I absolutely love the name) have come along and offered several solutions for preppers with a need to store seeds for a long time.
One of the most popular offerings from Frosty Seed is THE VAULT. The Vault contains 40 varieties of non-GMO freeze-dried heirloom seeds vacuum sealed in a Mylar bag inside a plastic .30 caliber ammo can. It also comes with Clyde’s Garden Planner – Clyde’s Vegetable Planting Slide Chart.
Above is the Mylar pack containing my seeds. The Mylar obviously keeps the seeds protected from the elements including light.
After receiving my Vault I opened the Mylar pack to check out the contents. The photo below shows all the seeds and there are a ton of seeds included.
As you can see I had to lay some packs on top of one another as I could not lay them all out flat. I was really expecting just simple paper envelopes with a label on each stating what was in the pack. The full-color packs were a welcome surprise.
Reviewing the FrostySeed.com website they have a great section with Frequently Asked Questions. Reading through several questions a couple of things important are that the seeds are grown in the United States and they are all non-GMO. For most of us that is very important. Regarding germination of the seeds they make a point that they guarantee 15 years, however, they can germinate for 15-25 years when stored properly. 15 years is fantastic but more than that is even better!
Although I opened my seeds I’ll be saving them for the Spring to start next year’s garden. Gardening has always been part of my preps and the addition of these freeze-dried seeds is a game-changer.
They have several different packages available. Don’t overlook this very important prep.
For more information visit FrostySeed.com.
Rourke