Garden Seeds 101

[PaulR]

So in the past 6 months we had a very easy trial run, end of the world scenario. There were a few essentials that were moderately difficult to grab and find in stores, toilet paper, paper towels, flour, yeast...... easily correctable.
But one of the biggest things personally for me was fresh vegetables:

I googled seeds: it says 3-4 year shelf life. Is this true?
I would like to load up on Lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, corn, brocc, spinach, asstd other garden vegetables, from seed.
Google says you can store seeds in an air-tight glass jar in the fridge/freezer and plant them years later. Anyone done this?
should I start from pots? indoors? grow lights needed?
Any other advice on long term seed storage / gardening appreciated.
TIA
Paul

 

[enbloc]

VAC-Sealers have many uses...
I've successfully germinated and grown sealed seeds from 2013.

Only time I freeze seeds is to cold-stratify.

A Preppers Pal.

 

[PaulR]

I DO have one of them, thank you for the idea kind sir.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

VAC-Sealers have many uses...
I've successfully germinated and grown sealed seeds from 2013.

Only time I freeze seeds is to cold-stratify.

A Preppers Pal.

I seriously wish someone told me about this before last summer when I tried like a half dozen times to grow strawberries. lol.

 

[Medicine Man]

I save seeds from my garden every year. Different seeds last longer than others, but three to five years is reasonable. Expect germination rates to fall the older they get.

I’ve been rough on seeds( stored on top of the fridge on a paper towel all winter covered in dust) and they still germinate. Nature is incredibly resilient.

Seeds recovered from Egyptian tombs readily germinated and some weed seeds like plantain can sit in soil for decades before the right conditions For germination develop.

Have fun and keep growing.

 

[enbloc]

Storing seeds is always a good thing. Learning to clone and root cuttings is also an important tool in the gardener's toolshed...

I follow the ABC method.

Always Be Cultivating...

 

[Silverado]

IDK I wasted a lot of time this year with garden seeds with nothing to show for it.

 

[vicorjh]

Google says you can store seeds in an air-tight glass jar in the fridge/freezer and plant them years later. Anyone done this?
should I start from pots? indoors? grow lights needed?

I do this, and have planted seeds many years old with little obvious change in the germination rates. The seeds need to be dry and kept dry. And, clean. In fact, for some seeds, a cool period (winter) is beneficial towards germination later. Ancedotal evidence suggests that you could get 10+ years of good viability for properly stored seeds.

I start most of the plants that will eventually get big indoors using peat pellets (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc). Once the roots start to show at the bottom of the pellets, they are transferred into a larger container with peat + perlite until they are large enough / sturdy enough to transplant outside. Avoid the ceramic pots, you want something that makes it easy to remove the entire root ball when ready.

For smaller plants (corn, radishes, basil, thyme, carrots, beets, etc), I just direct sow these into their final location.

When starting a grow indoors, you will need the sunniest spot you can find or, alternatively, a good grow light (you get what you pay for here). When transferring the indoor starts outdoors, depending on how much light they'd received, you may have to acclimatize the plants to the higher light intensity. Some folk will bring the starter containers into full sunlight for a couple of hours a day over the course of a week or so prior to the final planting spot. That is important if you don't have a very sunny location or grow lamps. Personally, I try to emulate the intensity of the sunlight indoors and just plant them outside when they are ready (sometimes they'll stress out for a short period if it's really hot and clear). Emulating sunlight usually means a fancy fixture that can produce around 1000 PPFD of intensity at the plant canopy and/or a greenhouse.

Number one mistake for those starting their own garden the first time...over-watering. That kills many plants, roots do exchange gas. And, fungus can stunt a plant in an overly moist soil. This is one of the reasons to use small starting containers since it is easier to control the moisture. Only some plant genotypes are tolerant to the lack of oxygen exchange at the roots (kratky lettuce, for instance).

Most other mistakes you can recover from. Avoiding most errors simply comes with experience.

 

[PaulR]

Great info Vicor, thank you very much.

 

[vicorjh]

Great info Vicor, thank you very much.

I forgot to mention, PH. When I say peat in the above post, it has been PH adjusted with lime since peat can be a bit too acidic (slightly acidic is the sweet spot usually). I've been successful with the promix product line, e.g. High Porosity Growing Medium | PRO-MIX HP which is already PH adjusted.

On that note, once the greenthumbs takes hold, you'll discover how PH will have an influence on plant health. For outdoor soil grow, PH is usually regulated by the natural biome in the soil and is a bit too much to think about when starting out.

 

[PaulR]

Being a lawn geek (but far from a garden geek) I actually understand this. I do soil samples every year on my lawn and send them off to the UMass Extension. % organic matter, cation exchange capacity and all that jazz.

 

[cmcgraw2]

Global Seed Vault is kept in permafrost @ below freezing, so they must assume they'll keep for a long time,

 

[enbloc]

IDK I wasted a lot of time this year with garden seeds with nothing to show for it.

This happens to every home gardener. Some years just don't pop on some fruits and vegetables, while other items explode with produce.
Some years = great tomatoes, poor corn, and visa versa.
It's not always the grower's fault.
Keep trying, it's time to be thinking your late Fall and Winter crops anyway...

I've used this as a guide for a couple of years now, maybe you'll like it. UMASS planting Guide for Massachusetts

 

[vicorjh]

Being a lawn geek (but far from a garden geek) I actually understand this. I do soil samples every year on my lawn and send them off to the UMass Extension. % organic matter, cation exchange capacity and all that jazz.

Absolutely, same deal. You are waaay ahead of the curve here. Personally, I don't run samples because, ummm, I'm lazy and typically I'm amending the soil each season ... but I probably should do that ... someday

 

[PaulR]

I honestly stopped recently too because year after year I always got the same results: Add Organic matter, add Calcitic lime, back off on the Phosphorus.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

This happens to every home gardener. Some years just don't pop on some fruits and vegetables, while other items explode with produce.
Some years = great tomatoes, poor corn, and visa versa.
It's not always the grower's fault.
Keep trying, it's time to be thinking your late Fall and Winter crops anyway...

I've used this as a guide for a couple of years now, maybe you'll like it. UMASS planting Guide for Massachusetts

I've been growing veggies in containers on my deck for several years. Everything is exploding this year! The cherry tomato plants are already 6' tall. I'm going to need a bigger deck!

 

[enbloc]

I've been growing veggies in containers on my deck for several years. Everything is exploding this year! The cherry tomato plants are already 6' tall. I'm going to need a bigger deck!

Containers are an excellent way to test/amend certain soils for specific species of plants and allows you to find the optimum chemistry of your medium for each plant.
I also use containers exclusively for potatoes. Much better production with higher-quality spuds.

Potatoes are an excellent prepper's plant because they taste great, produce well and STORE WELL.
I have also found that I use less water, have less insect and disease issues but, (and this is huge) also groundhogs, who love the little spuds won't even look at a container
filled with potatoes. It's like they're invisible... That means MORE FOOD for YOUR FAMILY.

Here is a little (non-scientific) video I found in the past with a little comparison between spuds grown in the earth vs. containers...

Enjoy!

From Tony O'Neill

Spoiler: That deep, rich, red pile of spuds on the right side that is more than twice the production of the ones on the left...
were grown in space and water-saving containers.


More if you'd like...




Container Potatoes link.

NEW ENGLAND IS POTATO COUNTRY!

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Containers are an excellent way to test/amend certain soils for specific species of plants and allows you to find the optimum chemistry of your medium for each plant.
I also use containers exclusively for potatoes. Much better production with higher-quality spuds.

Potatoes are an excellent prepper's plant because they taste great, produce well and STORE WELL.
I have also found that I use less water, have less insect and disease issues but, (and this is huge) also groundhogs, who love the little spuds won't even look at a container
filled with potatoes. It's like they're invisible... That means MORE FOOD for YOUR FAMILY.

Here is a little (non-scientific) video I found in the past with a little comparison between spuds grown in the earth vs. containers...

Enjoy!

From Tony O'Neill

Spoiler: That deep, rich, red pile of spuds on the right side that is more than twice the production of the ones on the left...
were grown in space and water-saving containers.


More if you'd like...




Container Potatoes link.

NEW ENGLAND IS POTATO COUNTRY!

I may be doing potatoes next year.

 

[enbloc]

I may be doing potatoes next year.

Let your IRISH out!

 

[enbloc]

Sweet Potatoes do very well in containers too... (just make sure you get a food-grade container)



If you can get them out...


Upturned container of sweet potatoes...

I use these 10-gallon stubby containers: 10-gallon containers

Great for Zucc's and Crooknecks too...

 

[enbloc]

It's kinda funny, I know a few home gardeners and I'm the only one in my area who does spuds every year. So easy, so bountiful, so repeatable, so tasty...

I guess people just take them for granted...

 

[enbloc]

Potato




Nutrition Facts

Sources include:USDA

Amount Per 0.5 cup, diced (75 g)100 grams1 Potato small (1-3/4" to 2-1/2" dia) (170 g)1 Potato medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia) (213 g)1 Potato large (3" to 4-1/4" dia) (369 g)1 Potato medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia) (213 g)

Calories 163

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g	0%
Saturated fat 0.1 g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 13 mg	0%
Potassium 897 mg	25%
Total Carbohydrate 37 g	12%
Dietary fiber 4.7 g	18%
Sugar 1.7 g
Protein 4.3 g	8%

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	70%
Calcium	2%	Iron	9%
Vitamin D	0%	Vitamin B-6	30%
Cobalamin	0%	Magnesium	12%

 

[enbloc]

Sorry I mucked up your thread... again.

 

[Silverado]

Funny even the potatoes I started never came up either. I'd do the porch thing but not enough sunlight and to cold for other plants to get going before transfer.

 

[enbloc]

That's too bad. I've found that a black or dark colored container will keep the roots much warmer than the lighter ones. This has been good for my potatoes, peppers and tomatoes.

Do you have the ability to 'open up' your tree canopy by trimming branches? May change your outcome a bunch...

Also, Walmart in Hudson, NH has food-grade 5-gallon buckets for like $2.96/ea in red/white/blue colors (very excellent price for food-grade).
The blue would be perfect for solar heating roots. and drill about 5 1/2" drain holes along the bottom of the side (Not the bottom underneath)
Pick up a bag of organic compost and some peat, mix in some fish, blood, bone meal, mix well and fill bucket 1/3rd up, add three red potatoes with chits facing up,
then fill another 1/3rd and water lightly. When your potato plants are about 1 foot tall, top off the bucket with the final 1/3rd of mix.

You can easily move the buckets till you find a place they like and will get 3-5 pounds per bucket. (save some of the smaller ones as seed potatoes for next year's sets)

"When the gardening gets tough; the tough get gardening"...