Seed Storage

One of the final stages of survival is transitioning out of the "impact winter" into small farming communities. One of the critical elements for this transition to occur is the long-term storage of seeds. The "impact winter" will last several years. Even as the period comes to an end, the weather patterns will not be ideal for planting, which may lead to the crop loss during the first few seasons. Our objective is to store large quantities of seeds for a minimum of 5 years.

Seeds are living things. The environments in which seeds are stored influence the seed’s viability and vigor, the seed’s ability to germinate rapidly with normal growth rates and disease resistance. The two most important factors influencing seed longevity is storage temperature and relative humidity. These factors control the seed’s metabolic process. The cooler and dryer the storage environment, the longer the seed life. In general, for every reduction of ten degrees Fahrenheit in storage temperature, the life of the seed is doubled. Also, for every decrease of 1% in moisture content, the seed’s storage life is doubled. Seeds must not be frozen. Many seeds may have a moisture content greater than 8% and freezing these seeds will rupture their cell walls and destroy them.³⁷

Seeds are used for two purposes. The first is food production and the second is seed production. Our objective in seed storage is to meet both criteria. When selecting the seeds for storage, try not to use "hybrid" seeds because although they will meet the first requirement, they will not meet the second. Unfortunately, corn and tomato seeds are generally available only as hybrids. Seed manufacturers control the inbrids that are used to produce the hybrids and do not sell these to the general public. The inbrids, are in a sense, leased to the farmers who produce hybrid seeds. Seeds from hybrid varieties produce a mixture of plant types, most of which are inferior to the parent. Hybrid seeds produce sterile and unstable varieties.³¹ In general; wheat and soybeans are non-hybrids and can be purchased from seed suppliers, such as Pioneer Hi-Bred International. Therefore, this plan will focus on seed storage of these crop seeds. I recommend 8 tons of wheat seeds and 8 tons of soybean seeds be stored. Once planted these seeds should yield approximately 240 tons of wheat and 270 tons of soybeans. (Follow the instructions under the section Food Storage)

I recommend the wheat and soybean seeds be stored in a 20 foot long Intermodal Shipping Container. This container should be protected from debris and firestorm damage. It should be buried in a deep trench, covered with a layer of 6-mil black plastic and then covered with a minimum of three feet of earth.

I recommend other types of non-hybrid seeds be stored in small quantities to provide variety to the meals in Stage 3. The seeds must be packed into containers with a hermetic air-tight seal (such as a glass jar) with a desiccant to remove the moisture in the air. About a ½ cup of dry powdered milk in a jar will serve this purpose.⁹ (Because of their fragility, glass container may not make the best storage containers in this instance. Another alternative is to use sealable food storage buckets. The book "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth is an excellent reference on seed production and storage.

The germination process should contain two steps: inbibition and incubation. In the first step, the seeds should be removed from storage and place in a cool (40⁰ F) and dark area for 5 to 10 days. To germinate properly and regain their vigor, the seeds have to reabsorb sufficient moisture to ease out of their dormant state. After this period, the seeds should be moistened, planted and place in a warm environment (90⁰ F), such as an improvised greenhouse, until they germinate. Some data has shown that the highest germination rates were achieved when both inbibition and incubation took place in darkness.¹²

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