http://sharonastyk.com/2008/12/11/are-we-seeing-the-early-signs-of-a-seed-availability-crisis/
I don't know if this will come to pass or not, but just in case, I've made my seed list, checked it twice and will be ordering a day or two after Christmas. I can see how there could be a shortage of seeds available, especially if more folks are beginning to wake up and realize that:
a) food is gettin' expensive
b) food is gettin' unsafe
c) food is gettin' scarce
I'm hearing a lot of scary predictions for 2010 and 2011...food shortages, riots, total social breakdown. I don't know if any of that will happen, I hope not. But just in case, I'll be ordering extra seeds this year, putting up extra fruit and veggies, and stockpiling anything I can get my hands on. And if someone doesn't get me a deer or some wild birds, I'm going to climb up on top of the garden shed and just wait for one to walk through the field.
I tried to talk to Jeff about this last night, and his response was 'Are you getting ready to divorce me?'. Um, no. If that were the case, I'd sell all your tools and guns and burn your clothes. I tried to explain my worries and I think he sort of has the same worries, but for the most part thinks it's probably nothing. That may be. But I'd rather have some extra beans and rice laying around and not need them, than go without.
That said, I have figured out my priorities in terms of shopping for the next few months...seeds, food, and extra clothing for Isaac. Mara has enough clothing for 4 people, plus hand me downs from Isaac. Jeff and I have a good bit and are done growing (except around the waistline), so Isaac will get the bulk of the clothing this year. Extra shoes, blue jeans, jammies and underclothes. That's my plan for early 2009. Before the crap hits the fan.
1 comment:
I agree that, uh, "stuff" may hit the fan, but I think she has a bit of a one-sided view on things. She does not account for the fact that in the Depression, during WWII, and all times up until now people have saved seeds and shared with family and friends. People did this less in the 60s thru into the 90s, and it started becoming more popular again in the late 90s, but it was *still going on* this whole time, and it is a popular bonding experience amongst garden folk! Always has been, always will be.
She seems to takes a stance of "people as isolated beings, without community" and, therefore, believes there will be a bank-run sort of run on seeds.
I think there *will* be a little stampede, as people tend to be like cattle and panic rather than prepare, and there *will* be some people without friends/family who garden who are in the whole "no community to help them out when all the good seeds are gone", but A LOT of people garden, and gardeners are "sharing" type of people in general and will share extra seeds, seedlings, etc., so this will lessen the impact.
Look at people like girlgroupgirl who works to foster a gardening community amongst the disabled in her community, and amongst musicians. That is awesome, and those are people who may not normally have been exposed to gardening, but now are & have resources and a community to pool talent, tools, seeds/seedlings, etc. We have gardening organizations here in my town that do similar things, including community gardens at the elementary and middle schools to get the kids comfortable with gardening.
I agree that things are serious, but I think she is doing a bit too simplistic of thinking, and needs to factor in the variables to see how that may affect the seed crisis. I also think that the crises affecting us (and that will affect us in the course of this economically troubled period) may serve to help bring some people together, to form more community feeling and more of a community bond amongst likeminded people. It's already happening, just check out the forums like the Freedom Gardeners, or the people at MutuallyAssuredSurvival.com 's message boards.
But, then again, I one of those crazy people for whom getting lemons means lemonade time! We can let this divide us & we can all end up suspicious, cranky, bitter, and holed up with tons of guns and whatnot, or we can try to forge communities & support each other. I'd really prefer the latter, and I'm going to fight for that mindset whenever possible. Like you, I prefer to prepare for the worst, but hope for the better outcome! If human nature, and the American spirit, decide to go so far down the toilet that we all turn into rabid, paranoid isolationists I will be very sad. But we have to remember that we are essentially, at heart, the same people who went through tough times previously (the Depression, both world wars, the turbulent 60s & the Vietnam War, just to name a few recent examples!) and we came out OK.
We may be a little softer now, a little less ready to deal with all the crap that may happen, and a little less ready for tough times, but humans are tough creatures and will adapt, I believe. You can't breed toughness out of people in just a generation or two or three!
I am not one of those "God Bless America" flag waving folk, who say "we'll be OK because we are a Great Nation" and such, but I *am* danged proud of how scrappy and tough we are and our ancestors have been. We've had rough times before, and we've come through them in the past. We're just as tough, inside, now and can handle the rough times, and maybe learn a thing or three from them.
And, no, my middle name is NOT "Pollyanna" despite how optimistic this might sound...
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