Survival seed kits are a crucial investment for any prepper looking to build a self-sustaining garden. These kits provide a variety of non-hybrid, non-GMO seeds that can be stored for long periods, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh produce in case of emergencies. There are a lot of options to consider when it comes to seed vaults: germination rates, varieties included, purity, etc.
This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best survival seed kits, put them to the test, and now the results are in: the overall best, a starter option, and an upgrade option. If you want to be able to grow food for survival, one of our suggestions will get you sprouting.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
The Best Survival Seed Kit
15,000 Seeds, 32 Varieties, with High Germination Rates
Stow the seeds you need away for the future with high-quality contents and reliably dry packaging.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
There are a lot of options in this price range, but this one from Open Seed Vault edges them out. It has a great variety for a 15,000-seed vault and includes some of our survival favorites that are less common, like sunflowers.
Here is how it measures up:
- 32 varieties individually packed
- Heirloom seeds
- High germination and purity
- Non-GMO, grown in the US
- 8″ H x 5″ W x 1″ D
- 5.6 ounces
With unsurpassed value and an excellent variety for survival sustainability, it’s easy to see why the Open Seed Vault 32 is the best.
Beginner Survival Seeds
4,800 Seeds, 11 Varieties, with Robust Packaging
This inexpensive starter kit will get your survival garden up and running- even if the seeds sit in storage for years.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The bare minimum of survival seed kits doesn’t have to have a bunch of bad seeds in it. The vegetable seed kit from NatureZ Edge is quality (despite the brand name), and comes in a resealable mylar pouch. NatureZ Edge grows its seeds in the US, is Veteran-owned, and is a small family business.
The vegetable kit includes plenty of popular survival staples, including beans, cucumbers, onions, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, lettuce, corn, and broccoli. Most of these are known for being hardy and give a good variety for different climates.
Here is how the pouch of seeds measures up:
- 11 varieties individually packed
- Heirloom seeds
- High germination and purity
- Non-GMO, grown in the US
- 9.5″ H x 6″ W x 1″ D
- 2.4 ounces
If you are looking for a basic survival garden contingency plan, you can’t go wrong with the NatureZ Edge Vegetable Seed Kit.
Upgrade Survival Seed Kit
23,000 Seeds, 144 Varieties, in an Ammo Can
Stow some serious seeds in your at-home survival kit to create a victory garden anywhere, anytime.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Level up any garden with 144 varieties with high germination rates. This kit will have you growing an abundance of crops in any USDA hardiness zone, so it won’t matter if you’re growing at home or have relocated.
Survival Essentials has been building seed vaults for over 25 years- so unlike a few other newcomers they are tried and true, and we know their seeds hit the germination and purity marks they print.
The icing on the cake is the .30 caliber ammo can, which helps organize and protect all of the labeled pouches inside.
Here are the full details:
- 144 varieties individually packed
- Heirloom seeds
- High germination and purity
- Non-GMO, grown in the US
- 8″ H x 4″ W x 10″ L
- 2.1 pounds
If you are looking for the best of the best, get the Survival Essentials Ultimate Heirloom Seed Vault.
Everything We Recommend
Open Seed Vault 32
Stow the seeds you need away for the future with high-quality contents and reliably dry packaging.
Where to Buy
$33* at Amazon
*at time of reviewing
NatureZ Edge Seed Kit
This inexpensive starter kit will get your survival garden up and running- even if the seeds sit in storage for years.
Where to Buy
$13* at Amazon
*at time of reviewing
The Survival Seeds We Compared
Our research narrowed the field down to several types and brands of survival seed kits and vaults that we compared: Open Seed, Survival Essentials, Heaven’s Harvest, Seed Armory, Legacy Food Storage, and more.
You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
We considered a wide range of seeds but stuck with the bulk-packaged ‘seed vaults’ for the sake of simplicity in our review.
We’re always looking for new and better supplies, so if you have a seed vault that you swear by, let us know in the comments. We review most of our tested equipment annually, but seeds take a little more time to test. With a little patience, we can try to get it in the next roundup round and see if it makes the cut and we can see if it will beat out our top picks.
What to Look For
The best survival seed kit has several important features to look for:
- Value
- Varieties Included
- Germination Rate
- Purity
- Storage
When you get the right blend of these, you can find a seed kit that will work perfectly with your skillset to get your survival garden started. Below, we break down what each of these features means for the packs of seeds that truly set themselves apart.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
The amount of money you spend on something like garden seeds shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. There are some massive kits and a little bit of marketing going on out there, so don’t get price gouged. Follow your budget and get what makes the most sense for you.
You never want to spend too much money on one thing when it comes to prepping and survival. It’s better to diversify your prepping focus and budget to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios.
Varieties Included
A variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs are ideal for a survival garden but can be difficult to cultivate depending on your USDA hardiness zone. Different foods provide different types of vitamins, minerals, calorie content, fiber, and more. Having a good mix of these is essential for your long-term health.
We can’t survive on potatoes alone, like Matt Damon in The Martian– he had help from a stash of multivitamins. Garden variety is better than multivitamins but it will cost you more to have a bigger variety in your seed vault.
Germination Rate
Germination rates in the kits we compared ranged between 60% and 95% depending on the seed type and supplier. The higher, the better, obviously- since we want the seeds that we work hard to get going to actually grow.
Both germination rate and purity are good measures of how efficient your seeds will be.
Purity
Seed purity is a measure of whether that seed that you planted is actually what the kit says it is. Plenty of weeds, grasses, and other seeds can get mixed in naturally, resulting in a lower purity percentage.
When you combine purity percentage and germination rate you get a metric called pure live seed.
Pure live seed (PLS) is equal to the product of the purity and germination percentages. So, the PLS of a bag of Bermuda grass where purity = 85% and germination = 75% would be 0.85 x 0.75 = 0.64 PLS.
The pure live seed of most of our picks is over 0.8 PLS, with many vegetables going much higher.
Storage
Storing seeds in dry environments is crucial to help them avoid fungal contamination and reduced germination.
Dry and cold is best for storage- less than 40% humidity and between 35-40°F. The temperature can be hard to maintain without refrigeration, but reducing humidity can help.
Storing seeds in sealed mylar bags is ideal because it blocks light and humidity extremely well.
How to Start a Survival Garden
We have it easy now that we can go down to the hardware store and get plants for the garden, but starting from seeds can be tough. Especially if they have been in dry storage for a while and have reduced germination rates.
You also shouldn’t be just popping seeds into the ground and hoping for the best. With limited resources in both seeds and water, survival situations will require you to get the most out of your garden.
Scott does a great job talking about garden planning and what you’ll need for survival:
Who Needs a Survival Seed Vault?
Having fruit, vegetable, and herb seeds around to make a survival garden (both before and after SHTF events) is a pretty good idea.
We suggest that you have a survival seed vault in your:
We also suggest that you consider adding a seed kit to your:
Although storing seeds will lower their germination rate, they will still come in handy when you need to grow food to eat. Having enough seeds and a wide variety of them doesn’t have to be a problem in a survival situation, and can give you a useful garden well beforehand too.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We consult experts in the field for a better understanding of what makes the gear great. Hours on end are spent field testing gear in stressful conditions. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. After our review process, some of the items reviewed end up in our giveaways.
Sources and References
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best survival seed kit is useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical prepping experience:
Herrmann, M. (2015). The Modern Day “Victory Garden”. Procedia Engineering. Volume 118. Pages 647 – 563. (Source)
Leng, C., et al. (2022). Daily home gardening improved survival for older people with mobility limitations: an 11-year follow-up study in Taiwan. Clinical Interventions in Aging. Pages 947 – 959. (Source)
Rajjou, L., et al. (2008). Seed longevity: Survival and maintenance of high germination ability of dry seeds. Comptes Rendus Biologies. Volume 331. Issue 10. Pages 796 – 805. (Source)
The Final Word
Food is always a survival priority. A seed kit or ‘vault’ can help you create your own victory garden now or help you create a sustainable food source during a survival event. Whether you plan to use them right away or keep them in dry storage, they are incredibly useful.
Here are a few other reads our subscribers have also found helpful:
We presented quite a lot of information, but as always: if you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help. Our research and testing found the Open Seed Vault 32 to be the best option given its value, varieties included, germination rate, purity, and storage.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
You’ve Been Missing Out
Join the 2+ million preppers that rely on our prepping advice by subscribing to TruePrepper.
- Practical guides and tips
- Useful survival giveaways
- Free, forever
- < 0.4% of people unsubscribe
Thanks for subscribing, reading, and welcome to the club.
The post Best Survival Seed Kit for Your Prepper Garden appeared first on TruePrepper.
https://trueprepper.com/survival-seed-kit/
CampingSurvivalistHuntingFishingExploringHikingPrivacy PolicyTerms And Conditions
