In times of economic upheaval or global violence, how do we stay afloat? Those practicing self-reliance know that if you can feed yourself, you can save yourself.

That’s why we put so much emphasis on having emergency food. While it’s essential to stockpile nonperishable food, no one knows how long a crisis will last.

And, if the past few years taught anything, it’s that our supply chains are fragile and one disaster away from breaking. And we sure as heck cannot rely on our government to make sure store shelves stay stocked.

If things get really bad, those who survive will be those who know how to grow their own food.

Given the predictions of serious economic and global catastrophes in the near future, we should all be prepared to begin home gardening.

And that starts with stocking up on heirloom seeds, planting those seeds, and learning how to harvest the seeds year after year.

Heirloom Seeds Compared to Others

It’s not enough to stock up on just any seeds.

You want heirloom seeds.

Heirloom seeds, as their name suggests, have been around for many years and have been passed down through generations (as an heirloom).

The passing down through the generations using open pollination makes heirloom seeds special and hardy. Over years of cultivation, heirloom seed varieties develop a natural resistance to specific pests and diseases.

Heirloom seeds are not hybrids (crossbred) or GMOs produced and genetically modified in a lab.

In comparison to hybrid seeds or GMO seeds, “Heirlooms have superior taste, quality, and hardiness when compared to all other seed types.”

If you are planting the food you plan to eat, don’t you want to plant the best seeds?

Preserving the Past

Take a minute and consider family heirlooms. Maybe it is a family Bible, wedding china, or jewelry.

Most family heirlooms have some sort of value – but they may just be sentimental.

Now imagine what a difference it would make if you could pass down an heirloom to future generations that could save lives.

This is how heirloom seeds have been treated throughout history.

Garden Betty writes, “Imagine a variety of fruit or vegetable that was so important to your family history or homeland that you would bring it with you when you immigrated to the New World. Such is the case with Old Greek Melons, which were introduced in the early 20th century when Greek immigrants settled in Utah for mining jobs. Or Hutterite Soup Bush Beans, which arrived in North America in the 1870s when Hutterite Christians fled persecution in Europe.”

Heirloom seeds are such a rich and important part of history that there are museums dedicated to them.

Some states even use heirloom seeds to tell their stories. For example, Pennsylvania has a web page titled “History Lesson: Get to know PA through its heirloom seeds.”

Like cherished family heirlooms, there are also heirloom varieties that have been passed down through the generations, preserving them for us to enjoy more than a hundred years later.

Garden Betty shares, “There are the heirlooms that have been grown, saved, and passed down through several generations of the same family, like Bedwell’s Supreme White Dent Corn, which was originally cultivated in Clarke County, Alabama, and preserved by the Bedwell family for at least a century. Or Missouri Pink Love Apple Tomatoes, which have survived since the Civil War. The Barnes family grew these tomatoes as an ornamental, believing (as many people did at the time) that tomatoes (or ‘love apples’) were poisonous.”

When we use heirloom seeds, we are continuing these legacies.

Why Heirloom Seeds

Beyond being a part of history when you plant heirloom seeds, there are other great reasons for choosing heirloom seeds.

1. Superior Quality – The number one reason is their superior quality. Countless farmers claim that heirloom seeds produce better-tasting fruits and vegetables. They are time-tested and found to be the most flavorful, beautiful, and hardiest.
2. Never Buy Seeds Again – Ideally, you want to continuously grow your own food. With heirloom seeds, you can! You can save the seeds from your current plants and plant them next year to grow the same great-tasting fruit and vegetables. This means that, if you master seed saving, you won’t ever have to buy new seeds again (unless you just want to try something new).

Now Is the Time for Every Household to Stock Up on Heirloom Seeds

Did you know most American grocery stores only carry 72 hours’ worth of food on their shelves with little to no back stock?

That’s part of the reason we have experienced so many grocery store shortages since the pandemic. Now factor in other complications, such as shipping, and we’ve come to realize grocery stores cannot be counted on in times of crisis.

Unfortunately, America will face more crises.

Whether it is a natural disaster, the grid going down, or a major cyberattack, something will happen that will make it difficult to purchase food.

On top of these issues, there is also the rising cost of food.

Considering all of the above, it is imperative that Americans not only own heirloom seeds but also start planting them now.

Practice growing, harvesting, canning, and securing seeds from these heirloom varieties to use next year.

Learning how to harvest the seeds from your current plants is the key to never having to buy seeds again.

Once you’ve mastered planting and harvesting – and have seeds in your possession – you can rest easy knowing you’re prepared whenever the next big crisis occurs.

Survival Seed Vault by Patriot Seeds

Make it even easier to be prepared and invest in the Survival Seed Vault by Patriot Seeds.

The Survival Seed Vault by Patriot Seeds contains 20 varieties of heirloom seeds stored carefully for long-term storage – all non-hybrid, 100% heirloom, and recently harvested.

Having this vault is the easiest way to declare your food independence. Many folks buy one for planting now and save the other for their emergency food storage.

The variety includes some of the most popular fruits and vegetables for at-home gardening.

Seed varieties include:

• Black Turtle Bush Bean
• Detroit Dark Red Beet
• Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli
• Golden Acre Cabbage
• Hales Best Cantaloupe
• Scarlet Nantes Carrots
• Snowball Cauliflower
• Golden Bantam Yellow Street Corn
• Marketmore 76 Cucumber
• Blue Lake Bush Bean
• Parris Island Cos Lettuce
• Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion
• Oregon Sugar Pod #2 Pea
• Champion Radish
• Bloomsdale Spinach
• Crookneck Squash
• Waltham Butternut Squash
• California Wonder Bell Pepper
• Marglobe Tomato
• Crimson Sweet Watermelon

You can start planting today to start harvesting seeds for the future or hold on to your seed vault until you feel like the time has come.

The Survival Seed Vault by Patriot Seeds is one of the easiest and smartest ways to secure your food supply – for your family and future generations.

Feed yourself, free yourself, friends.

In liberty,

Elizabeth Anderson

Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply