Recently many of us have become concerned about issues such as economic collapse, natural disasters, and food security. Most of us realize that we are totally dependent on big business to feed us and what they are feeding us in the form of GMOs in not only unhealthy, but can evaporate over night.  Food safety and availability is number one in most intelligent peoples mind today. 

Just like you would store water or can goods in an emergency, you need a seed bank. If you don't already have a garden when an emergency strikes you had better plant one and fast. That stock of food will not last long and your very survival may depend on it. What will your family eat if the grocery store shelves are empty?  It is a scary thought considering most people don't even plant a garden anymore.  Did you know that the U. S. census bureau no longer has "farming" listed as an occupation anymore?  That is how far removed from our food we are!

Why we started selling seed banks
In 2009 we started getting numerous of phone calls and emails about about "survival seeds". So we did a little research on the Internet to see what came up.

We were shocked at the outrageous claims being made by people who are not even seed companies.

Beware of non-seed companies selling "survival seeds". Seed companies must adhere to federal germination guidelines. You have no guarantee these folks didn't just buy the cheapest seed and many times foreign seed. You have no idea what the germination rates may be. A few say they buy from a "trusted national seed company"...if it is so trusted then why don't they say the company's name? This is similar to going to the local feed or hardware store to buy your seed. 

Here are some very important things to consider when buying a seed for a seed bank:

• Seed is not manufactured, but grown on a farm by a farmer.  Many people forget this.  It is a living embryo.  It must be treated as such.

• How seed is stored waiting to be sold.  Yes, that seed looks nice sitting for months in the greenhouse garden center, but it is hot and humid (very bad for seed).  Or worse someone's garage that is running a survival supply company over the Internet. Seeds are living organisms.  Temperature fluctuations and high humidity drastically reduce the viability of seed.  We store our seed in a temperature and humidity controlled room.  We go to great expense to do this.  Our seed is kept at 55* until the time it is shipped to you.  If your very survival is dependent on this seed wouldn't you want the best and freshest seed?

• Germination Standards.  This dictates how much of the seed you get actually sprouts or germinates.  Seed companies must follow federal guidelines set forth based on these standards.  Who regulates the survival seed/supply companies?  They should fall under the same laws if they are selling seed, but do they even have a license to sell seed?  Did you know that it is perfectly legal to sell onion seed for instance that only geminates at 70%?  Or what about carrots that only have to germinate to 55%?  What if you went to the grocery and the checkout clerk rung you up for an apple then cut it in half and threw half away? That is what 55% germination basically is.  We are a seed company.  Our very reputation is staked on having the highest germination and success rates.  When buying from someone who is not a seed company how would you know the quality of the seed till you 'pop the top" and try to grow it?  What if only a small percentage of your seed germinates?  If you truly were counting on that seed/garden you would starve!  Why in the world would anyone wanting "survival seed" buy from anyone but a reputable, licensed seed company?

• Foreign grown seed.  Most seed companies and seed brokers buy seed grown around the world.  Many buy from the cheapest sources like China or India.  Why is this bad you ask?  Despite the obvious of not supporting American farmers Click here to read the list.  In short think of it this way...  You want seed as closely adapted to your region as you can possibly get.  Seeds/plants are not widgets.  One type doesn't grow everywhere and produce abundant harvests.  Your success depends on seed that is regionally adapted. I know that most Indian seed companies for instance are not producing plants/seeds that are adapted to my California conditions.  We don't get that hot, humid or have that kind of moisture available to us.  Plants from those seeds will not succeed here.  If my life or "survival" depended on this I would at least want seed that was produced on the same continent! 

• Seed is a seasonal commodity.  Did you know most seed crops are contracted out a year or more in advance?  There are only so many American farmers growing heirloom seed  these days and most are contracted to large wholesale seed houses that dominate the market.  If you want American grown seed and you are a seed company you must buy from these companies unless you grow it yourself.  Most of these companies will not deal with anyone who contracts small amounts of seed like the hundreds of small survival supply companies or other seed companies popping up overnight on the web.  What does that mean?  That means they must buy from another sub-dealer or seed broker.  So instead of getting the seed straight from the farm then the seed house, they get what has been through many hands, what other bigger seed companies didn't want and lower germination rates .  This seed is transported all over the country through many warehouses, temperature extremes and many types of storage facilities all handling a living organism ... seed.  You can see the problem?  We grow our seed, we contract directly with local farmers and directly buy from reputable seed houses. 

• Is the seed genetically engineered?  Is it a hybrid?  Can I save seed year to year and have it come true?  Where does it come from? Did you ask?  Most people don't even ask where their food comes from, much less their seed.

"The "worlds largest" supplier of vegetable seed to the market is Seminis. Seminis is owned by the makers of Agent Orange, DDT and RoundUp.   Monsanto is the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed, holding 90% market share for various GE seeds." [1] (Source Wikipedia)      Click here to see what seed companies are selling Seminis seed.

• Many of these survival seed companies have greatly over exaggerated claims as to food production from their seeds. They say these few seeds will produce "thousands of pounds". How do you get "thousands of pounds" from 20 seed packets?  Others offer seeds in nothing but paper packages with nothing to protect the seed from rodents or moisture. We directly emailed one of Internet's most visible "Survival Seed" companies asking how long their seeds would store this way and we were told "seed will store ten to a thousand years when kept dark and dry". Maybe, if you store it under ground in the desert or in a cave. I assumed he was referring to the seeds found in Egyptian tombs or Anasazi caves??? Most of us don't have a cave handy or live in a desert.  Not to mention, some seeds, like onions, only last a couple of years in the best of conditions.  Obviously, these people don't grow seeds or food for a living! 

This is supposed to be a family's life line in case of emergency!!! This really outraged us so we designed our own safety seed in a can. Put your trust in a seed company. Even if it is not our seed company. The whole idea is these seeds must grow food in an emergency!

What do we offer?
We offer a package of our finest heirloom seeds for your peace of mind. 50 varieties of open pollinated, heirloom vegetables, grains and herbs that will be the key to your survival success. Properly planted, this is enough seed to plant over an acre of vegetables, grains and herbs to feed your family. All seeds are packed in individual packages, then packed in a large, resealable space age Mylar package for maximum protection.  This package is sealed in a steel, airtight container to keep your harmful moisture from destroying your seeds. The package is also rodent resistant being made out of steel (you must choose the steel option).  If you live in a high humidity climate or will be storing this in a root cellar, you might want to choose the plastic option.  Steel does rust.  That is a fact of nature and we cannot guarantee cans against rust.  We have no control over the environment you place your can in.  Please choose the plastic option if you cannot keep your can in a very dry place.

We sell only open pollinated heirloom seeds. Which means in the event you don't have access to seed again, you can save the seed from the food you grow and plant more next year. As opposed to hybrid or genetically modified seed. This is key to being self-sustaining in a time of crisis. You must learn to save seed to be self-sufficient that is why we include the best book on the market for just that as a part of this package. No other package on the market currently offers this. It is not enough to just have the seed. You need to understand how to grow it and how to save seed for the future. Many vegetables will cross pollinate and if you blindly save seed you will not necessarily have something edible next year. Learn how to save seed!

All of our heirloom seeds have planting instructions.  Unlike survival seed companies that package seeds in a plain envelopes with just a mailing sticker attached containing the variety name on the package, ALL of our seed is packaged with complete planting instructions. In a time of crisis you may not be able to run to the Internet and look up planting instructions. If you guess and plant seeds too deep you may reduce your yield as much as 80% or worse. Knowledge and information are key to survival. You need planting instructions to be successful.

How Long Do Seeds Last?
Many times we are asked how long will vegetable seeds last? I can understand why when some survival seed companies say their containers keep seed "fresh for decades" in their "hundred year time capsule". That is an outrageous claim in my opinion and unless you're storing seed in a desert tomb or frozen vault I doubt you will be able to pop the top 100 years from now and "grow hundreds of pounds of food". The chart below is a good guide, but you must remember seeds are living things. YES, many times seeds store much longer if stored properly in ideal conditions. Keep your seed dry and cool at all times. Ideally you want to store seed below freezing for maximum storage time, but this is not necessary. The best way to ensure "survival seeds" is to grow them out every year.

Here is what you get:

50 packages of Open Pollinated, NON Genetically Engineered, NON Hybrid, Vegetable, Grain and Herb seed.