About Our Heirloom Seeds

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to become more self-reliant,  heirloom garden seed and knowing how to grow them is one of the basic necessities.

Fifteen years ago, after gardening and preserving food for private and commercial purposes for 35 years, we felt that the public needs a good quality heirloom seed kit. These seeds can reproduce themselves true to type, unlike most seeds sold today – they are non-hybrid, open pollinated, non-GMO seeds.  They are valuable heirlooms just like a prized, complete set of antique China.

Geographically Versatile

These varieties have been chosen for the seeds’ ability to germinate and grow all across the country.  The fact that they have been around for many years tells us they are survivors.  They are more tolerant to extremes in climate, soil and growing season (daylight hours).

Hand Picked For You

When choosing varieties and quantities of seed for our kits, we considered:

• Nutritional value
• Germination success under adverse conditions
• Ease of transplanting
• Quantity of food produced
• Uses of produce (fresh eating, drying, canning, grinding, etc.)
• Success rate of seed saving (biennials are more difficult)
• Ability to grow nationwide
• Labor involved in harvesting (does it use more energy than it produces?)
• Use as a winter food
• Vulnerability to disaster (hail, late frosts, pests, etc.)
• Food for domestic animals (& neighbors)

Seeds That Reproduce True to Type

The seeds that we’ve selected can reproduce themselves.  They are non-hybrid, open pollinated, non-GMO, heirloom seeds.  Which translates to this:  Our seeds have stood the test of decades or even more than a century of use in this country – from the vegetable garden to the kitchen, these plants have stood the test of time.  They are not tinkered with genetically, they can reproduce naturally in the wild, and when you save these seeds, you’ll get the exact same variety next year, and the next, and the next.

Seeds That Can Be Stored For Years

We researched seeds to find the ones that germinate well after storage.  According to the National Seed Storage Lab at Ft. Collins, CO, seeds have three enemies:fresh air, moisture and heat. They have established an optimum moisture content for each seed for long life. This ranges from 4-8%.Common seed is sold around 12-14% moisture. Our seed is gently dried down, tested and packed in cans for durable long storage. We store them in hermetically sealed cans and adhere to strict national standards for seed storage.

Proper Temperatures are Key

Storing your seeds in proper conditions is vital. If stored at room temperatures, they will last perhaps 2-3 years.  For each 10°the temperature is lowered, the seed life will double:

32°  50 years

42°  25 years

52°  12 1/2 years

62°  6 years

72°  3 years

82°  1 year

90°  and above-not recommended