what seeds would you keep
 

Let's stay you are starting from scratch and want to stock up on seeds.

My favorite is purslane, a wild veggie. It started growing on it's own in my garden, so I saved the seeds and have kept growing it since. It's delicious.

What veggie seeds would you stock up on, how much of each and how would you store them?

Re: what seeds would you keep
 

Actually purslane is a great vegetable.
If you can create a self-sowing bed it will produce valuable food with little labor input.
Purslane also contains omega-three fatty acids which are very good for people.
The seed is very small.
In European countries there are cultivated varieties with larger leaves. I've grown these also, but I think the locally adapted wild purslane grows better where I'm at.

Re: what seeds would you keep
 

Have crops for warm and cool weather so you can grow food all or most of the year and pick things that will do well in your climate on your soil.

Beans produce quickly, are tasty and nutritious, they should definately make the list. Corn and squash are good to go with the beans for a traditional three sisters planting that will cover much of your dietary requirements. Sunflowers are native to the Americas and quite hardy as well as being very nutritious and yielding a goodly ammount of oil useful for cooking or fuel. You'll probably want a press and a mill to go with the sunflowers. It is good to have melons and other fruits, too, since it might be hard to get sweets post-SHTF and they're healthier than processed sweets right now. I like watermelons quite a bit and the seeds can be baked like pumpkin seeds and eaten for a snack, some varieties are grown for pressing oil in other parts of the world. Along those lines it's not a bad idea to grow something for tea in case water gets boring, I like echinacea because it makes good tea and helps boost the immune system. Peanuts are another good one, they're hard on a couple kinds of harmful nemotodes and fix nitrogen in the soil so they make a good ground cover but they're also good for you to eat.

The safest way to store seed is to be sure and grow more every year.

Re: what seeds would you keep
 

That depends on where you live.

What works in your region may not work for me, and vice versa.

Here, I'd have jalape�os, mustard greens, and swiss chard for sure. :)

Actually, we have them growing right now.

Survival stuff aside, someone told me something the other day. "I never met a kid that didn't eat veggies he/she grew." I'd have to agree. Good way to get the kiddos interested in healthy eating. (and cheap too.)

Blorp

Re: what seeds would you keep
 

Nice to see someone else likes purslane. The seeds of purslane last a very long time, at least 40 years. I read that very old seeds have been found and still sprouted.

Swiss card is another favorite. Which varieties do you like?

Cayenne peppers are tasty with the veggies. Fava beans can be eaten right from the vine and also last a long time.

Re: what seeds would you keep
 

yeah my vote is for swiss chard. it is almost no maintenance, has a good yield, and tastes great :) packed with vitamins

but nothing beats the yield of stuff like potatoes. gotta grow potatoes if you want to be self sufficient