Self Sufficiency - Small Steps

[bp fick]

Duffster, I'm heading toward just one seed anyhow, so I'm not concerned about crossing. I planted last year in widely separated patches, so while there might have been some cross pollinating, not a lot.

This year, I'm going to intentionally cross stuff. I'm looking for a decently sweet corn, that makes a decent ear and reproduces itself in a predictable and reliable way. That's all I'm looking for. Really basic goals here.

I'm also expecting a shipment of 3 lbs of Johnny's seed, tailored to folks like us. It's their best open pollinated corn. It's also organic. Double Standard (su) (OG) - Johnny's Selected Seeds

 

[sjerden]

We live on an 8 acre, 1886 vintage farm with most of the original buildings and house. Bought it on contract for deed back in 1982. It is prime Illinois farm ground and we have no codes in our county. You can build where ever and what ever you want without checking with anyone. I just play at farming, but have all the equipment I need to do so. I have two Allis WD's and al the snap coupler equipment: 2 AC discs, 2 bottom plow, AC blade, AC post auger, AC trip bucket, new holland baler, just bought a JD side delivery rake and several antique horse drawn stuff. Since I work full-time when I attempt to garden the weeds take over. I have a plastic mulch and drip-line layer that I got at a local auction for $40, but the narrow front on my tractor smashes the middle down when I tried to use it. Someday I'll get a wide front tractor to experiment with that again. here's a photo of my weedy garden where I planted handle-dipper gourds, the rest is pumpkins, but you can't see them for the weeds.


My farm was established in 1886 and most all the buildings, and house were constructed then. My place is all flat land and pasture, orchard grass and mostly a haying operations. It pays the taxes on the place. It is surrounded by Osage Orange, or more commonly know as Hedgewood. I teach digital arts at a local Jr. College and have created a Web site in Adobe Flash of my farm at Hedgewoodacres.com
I have Mennonites moving in around me from Landcaster County Pennsylvania. There are photos I took of them there plus photos of my farm and antique farm equipment collection.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Duffster, This is not an argument against what you do - nobody should tell you that you must or must not do this or that, but I am curious why you should want to keep so much seed.

I do keep seed that is unsown from packets I have bought, and am currently harvesting radishes from the last of a packet of seed I bought in 1998. It was an error in writing the code on the order and I ended up with 100 grammes (nearly 4 ounces) of radish seed and that is a lot of seed. I have other seeds that are up to about 7 or 8 years old. I buy from a supplier I have used for many years in the UK, but they are geared to commercial growers so the packets are a bit big for just home use. I have recently taken delivery of my Spring 2013 sowings, but only 25g of radish this time. It will still last a few years.

With the crops where I save seed, I keep enough back to cover a total crop failure in the following season, but with a successful crop I dispose of the old seed through birds or animals. That way I never have self-saved seed more than two years old. As I said, just curious why you want to keep more.