Homesteading

If you’re looking for Organic, Non GMO seeds for your vegetable garden this spring that are not associated in any way with Monsanto, or any of their seed-selling subsidiaries, like Seminis, consider this list that I have personally done business with. All of the following seed companies listed below have taken the Safe Seed Pledge and tested their stock to be free of GMOs.

The Safe Seed Pledge was created in 1999 when a coalition of 10 seed companies drafted a statement about the signers’ stance on genetic engineering. To date, 2-2018, the Pledge has been signed by over 370 seed companies worldwide.

In signing the Safe Seed Pledge we affirm our commitment to non-GMO (genetically modified organism) seed. We feel that the regulatory framework for the introduction of genetically modified crop varieties is flawed, and that GMO seeds themselves present a threat to plants’ genetic diversity through their ability to pollinate non-GMO plants.

While there are a growing number of great seed companies that have signed the Safe Seed Pledge, I have personally purchased from these listed below and have had excellent results in my zone 7A region of middle Tennessee.

All of these specialize in producing and supplying sustainable organic seeds. Some are Mom & Pop businesses, others are family owned and still others are employee owned. Some even limit their focus on producing seeds for plants adapted the particular climate in their region.

A couple of the larger companies on this list do carry open-pollinated, heirloom as well as some popular hybrid seed varieties, along with onion and garlic sets, planting potatoes, berry plants, fruit trees, tools, and more.

Now you should be aware that you can’t save hybrid seeds, they will not reproduce a true copy of the parent plant. But hybrids are not GMOs. Hybrids have been specifically cultivated to offer advantages like disease resistance, or special traits, colors or flavors (like seedless watermelons or “burpless” cucumbers) that you can’t find in open-pollinated and heirloom varieties.

Here is the list in Reverse Alphabetical order.

#1. White Harvest Seed Company

White Harvest Seed Company is a family-owned and operated business rooted in offering diverse varieties of heirloom vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. They sow and save several varieties on their farm in the Missouri Ozarks and they love encouraging other gardeners to return to a simpler, more self-sufficient way of life.

I have known Mike and his wife Diane for 5 years, we have used a variety of their seeds and have been consistently happy with the germination and taste of their products.

“For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” Psalm 128:2

#2. Twilley Seeds

Twilley Seed Company was founded in the early 1900’s by seedsman Otis S. Twilley. The original goal was to provide better vegetables seeds for farmers to grow. Now run by third generation seedsman George Park, the company’s purpose remains unchanged.

Mr. Park and his wife Barbara have a combined experience of over 60 years in the seed business. Our core staff averages 20 years of experience apiece. Our close-knit employees work to provide you the best varieties of vegetable, herb, gourd, and flower seeds. We choose our products carefully, store them under optimal conditions, and package them in moisture resistant material. Additionally, we test for germination two times per year.

#3. The Victory Seed Company

Instead of seeds that are packaged ahead of time, moved through various distribution locations only to end up sitting on a rack in the garden center of your favorite store, our seeds are received, quality checked, and stored until their sale.

Unlike most seed companies that purchase all of their seed stock and repackage, we actually do farm and what seed we don’t raise here, we obtain from a network of carefully selected growers. We then store them under controlled conditions until they are shipped out to you. Our packaging, with our inner resealable bag, reflects how we work to maintain the viability of your seeds.

S O U T H G A S E E D C O M P A N Y E S T . 2 0 1 2

#4. South GA Seed Company

We are an off grid, solar powered heirloom seed farm. Our family of four strives to live as simple as possible. We compost, use worm castings, utilize clean solar energy for watering, and raise livestock in order to use their waste as a fertilizer. We are working towards trying to live off the land as much as possible and at the same time we are trying to make a positive impact our environment and our neighbors. We are in the process of adding more indigenous plants to our small farm in hopes of better managing the land while benefiting various plants and animals around us.

#5. Seed Treasures

We are perhaps the smallest “seed business” around! My husband and I are the whole “crew”; we don’t have interns or apprentices available. So we do it all from tilling to seed harvesting by hand. With that said, let me introduce ourselves. My husband, Will, and I have been homesteaders for over fifty years and have always been interested in saving open pollinated seeds as a continuation of our self-reliant lifestyle.

Be assured that any seeds you buy from us will produce well, filling your table and pantry with tasty food. We, ourselves, plant, harvest and collect the seeds from each crop. We DO NOT offer any treated or GMO seeds. We garden organically, with no use of chemicals although we have not become certified because of all the hoops involved.

#6 Seed Savers Exchange

Seed Savers Exchange was founded in Missouri in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy. Diane’s grandfather entrusted to them the seeds of two garden plants, ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ morning glory and ‘German Pink’ tomato. These seeds, brought by Grandpa Ott’s parents from Bavaria when they immigrated to Iowa in the 1870s, became the first two varieties in the collection. Diane and Kent went on to form a network of gardeners interested in preserving heirloom varieties and sharing seeds. Today, with 13,000 members and 20,000 plant varieties, Seed Savers Exchange makes its home on 890 scenic acres in Winneshiek County, Iowa, at Heritage Farm.

#7. Seeds Now

Grow Your Own Food. Support Local. Eat Healthy. Be Happy.

We are full supporters of the Safe Seed Pledge. It’s something we take very seriously. First and foremost, we do not buy – OR – grow any seed from large corporations that make Genetically Engineered seeds. We don’t touch that stuff and we never will.

The seeds we offer here aren’t like varieties you’d typically find at a local garden center. In fact, all seeds offered on this website are pure heirloom non-hybridized varieties that are free from genetic engineering.

#8. High Mowing Organic Seeds

High Mowing Organic Seeds began in 1996 with just 28 varieties, many of which originated in founder Tom Stearns’ backyard. Since then, our company has grown exponentially, and what started as a one-man operation is now a thriving business making available to home gardeners and commercial growers over 600 heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seed. True to our roots, High Mowing Organic Seeds continues to grow many of the varieties we sell on our 40 acre farm, setting us apart from the majority of other seed companies.

#9 Botanical Interests

At Botanical Interests our goal is to inspire and educate the gardener in you so that you can create beautiful and prolific gardens. Not only is the seed inside our packets the highest quality available, our packets are designed to give you the information you need to be a more successful gardener!

Over 600 high-quality varieties
Many heirloom seed varieties
A large selection of USDA Certified Organic seed varieties (learn more about organic seed)
Guaranteed – the germination rate of every variety is tested before we package it
All our seed is untreated
No GMOs – we enthusiastically signed the SAFE SEED PLEDGE: We do not knowingly buy, sell or trade genetically engineered seeds or plants

https://www.botanicalinterests.com

#10. Backyard Seed Savers

Healthy Seeds. Happy Life. Organic, GMO-free

ALL of our seeds are non-certified ORGANIC (produced without chemical fertilizers or pesticides) and are grown, harvested, and processed by hand–with love–in our backyard and community gardens in Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID. NONE of our seeds are patented, PVP, or genetically modified (GMO). We offer open-pollinated, public domain seed, as well as heterogeneous (diverse gene) bulk populations. Our seeds have been sourced from all over the world and we are working to adapt them to our local environments while also increasing genetic diversity overall, so varieties succeed in your environments.

Where and how to start your journey towards a more prepared house hold, Part 2

The way we started was relatively easy and inexpensive at first to get the basics in place. Having lived in southern Louisiana for 20+ years we quickly learned during Hurricane season you have got to have some sort of plan. Most of the storms for the 20 + years we lived in the region were near misses and we decided to bug out for two of the bad ones.

I recommended Knowledge as one of the first things you should try and gain in part 1, so in part 2 we will look at the basic categories of Items or Stuff I believe is needed for emergency preparations to keep yourself and family safe and secure.

Water that’s clean and drinkable
Shelter, could be your home, a tent, or proper clothing for your area.
Food, canned goods, freezer stocked up, garden growing or freeze dried.
Energy, be it heat to cook your food or warm your shelter or electricity for lights & radios.
Security / Self Defense
Reliable transportation
Low or No Debt
Trade Currency, i.e. cash (or Barter items), to acquire the things you need from others.

In most places in the United States we take having clean water available at our sinks for granted and are surprised when we hear an announcement on the radio that there is a boil water warning after a chemical spill in the local water source or some other contamination scare.

First on the list is store some water, FEMA recommends 1 gallon of water per person for three days. https://www.ready.gov/water

I am more of the thought that it should be a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day per person. Besides drinking water you need water for cooking, brushing your teeth and personal cleanliness and sanitation so one gallon is really not enough. The easiest way to store water is in plastic 1 and 2 liter soda or juice bottles. Don’t use milk jugs, over time they will break down and leak, don’t ask me how I know. Rinse them out with hot water and fill them up and put them in a climate controlled area of your house like a closet or storeroom. If you are on well water you could add a couple of drops of bleach but if you are on city water, it’s already in there. Then again bottled water in 12 to 16 ounce bottles is getting cheaper all the time at many stores and for simplicity sake you could stock up on cases of them. Either way get the first step is done and store some water. Over time, increase the storage as more bottles become available.

So and next on the list is water filtration and there are lots of options available. There are whole house water filter systems on the market and if you already have one or are thinking of investing in a system, do the research and find out exactly what they filter out. Outside of a whole house system, consider something like a Berkey filter for drinking and cooking water needs. They come in different sizes and prices so shop within your budget and get what you can afford. Less expensive still for smaller volumes of water there are water filter bottles and filter straws that will make water safe to drink.

Other options include catching rainwater with rain barrels, or purchasing food grade 55 gallon barrels and storing water in them. Drawback to these options is weight, you probably won’t be moving them around much and from the rain barrel you will definitely want to boil and or filter before drinking.

I recently saw another cool water storage product called a water brick, http://www.waterbrick.org/ and considered carrying their products in our online store but after surveying some friends the price point seemed a little high. That being said if that might be an option you would be interested in send me an email or comment below and if there is enough interest I’ll see what kind of group buy we might be able to put together.

Next up we will talk about shelter.

10 Best Organic Non GMO Seed Companies

Advice for the beginning Prepper, Part 2 Water Preps