It’s no secret that this country was built on the back of agriculture. Anybody who has ever read a history book will rely the importance of farming for early colonizers. From the invention of the cotton gin, to the founding of the USDA, farming is inherent to our American culture.

It is for that reason, that while vegetables may be the last thing on your mind in the face of a pandemic or natural disaster, depending on the severity of a crisis, it may make sense to be prepared for potential after-effects. While Coranavirus isn’t likely the crisis to wipe out our food industry, there’s no telling if a future conflict or virus could have a direct effect on some of our food sources, rendering them un-usuable.

Long term food is a great solution for this issue, but depending on the length of a crisis, long term food can run it.

It’s for this reason that having vegetable seeds on hand to plant, may provide some comfort in having a long-term viable food source. This may sound crazy, but my grandfather keeps and manages a garden year round; and while he frequently plants new vegetables depending on the season, he always keeps a stash of seeds for emergencies purposes (he’s done this for about 30 years).

What’s important to note however, is that most seeds expire after a few short years, meaning that having seeds for the scenarios mentioned above may not be that helpful. Instead, I implore you to consider getting your hands on seeds packaged for long term storage. Not every store has seeds for long term storage, but if you are interested, search for online retailers specializing in survival gear and disaster preparedness.

Finally, keep in mind that if gardening isn’t a skill you have mastered, these kits come with an instructional booklet that will describe the ideal growing conditions, necessary care, and other need to know information, so don’t let that discourage you.