Really.. the fleecing is offensive on so many levels. To avid gardeners who look at the "diverse" selection and realize that not every crop works in every area (hence serious potential to fail).. to avid seed savers who by their sheer effort are keeping thousands and thousands of strains alive (and realize that without basic knowledge of how to keep a strain from out crossing.. or how long seeds keep, how to store them, etc.) that this "bank" is laughable at best.
The ones who should really be offended are the "preppers".. as there are sooooo many that have bought into this and have donned rose colored glasses of security. This man has made a mint off ya.. and he is laughing all the way to his bank.
All out laughter.. the man is in hysterics as he is cashing in hand over fist.
Let's get this out in the open.. It is not uncommon for seeds that are in packages with a "sell by" date to already be SEVERAL YEARS OLD. Especially with ones like peppers, tomatoes and other crops that have a longer storage vitality.. they often already are 6 years older or more. Age is not a restriction on seed sales. They have to pass a germination test then if they pass, they are marked with a "sell by" date that is well over a year from the date of the test. He's repackaging seeds with no idea of their age.. I doubt he's testing their germination and he's counting on the fact that no one is actually going to call a spade a spade when they dig up the container in 20 years to find not much sprouting. The fact he has onion seeds is a glaring problem.. it screams to a seed saver that this guy doesn't actually save seeds.
The strains... ok let's just start with there is a reason thousands and thousands of different strains came about. Every spot on the planet is a micro climate. Altitude, soil structure, nutrient content, weather, prevalent diseases, humidity, precipitation, winds, wind breaks... this is why sometimes it takes multiple tries of different strains.. why sometimes 1 variety does better or worse some years than others. When you maintain a strain and select for qualities repeatedly all of this plays a role. Know what to pick, and pick a variety suitable to your climate.
He uses heirloom like crazy.. huge buzz word. It creates tunnel vision. It should be Open Pollinated (OP)... think Optimal Purchase. In general.. heirloom strains tend to be more finicky.. often less disease resistance.. sometimes later harvest dates.. and tend to be more known for their flavor vs productivity.
Does this matter? If you are a prepper.. right about now you'd be yelling HELL YEAH IT MATTERS! Open pollinated strains are stable and can be perpetuated, they often just don't have the lure of the lore attached to them like heirlooms. There is no exact requirements for a strain to be "heirloom" either other than some proof.. vague or otherwise.. that it is old. Even the "old" is not defined and varies.
Don't be a sucker.. if you put the effort in to "prep" and this is a key part of your planning.. grow it, save it, learn it and know it. Placing your faith in someone because he's able to rouse panic and offers quotes from scripture to pry funds from your pocket is not security.
Some basics to consider:
- get books and learn to identify/ treat plant pests and diseases
- "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth is a seed saver's bible for crops
- learn how to compost and build soil now, as well learn to spot deficiencies in nutrients by plant growth
Make a garden and learn. Then realize if things go crazy.. those that bought the plastic pipe dream of delusion are most likely going to be the same people raiding you for food.
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