Check out Baker Creek (rareseeds.com). They are in Mansfield, MO and sell only heirlooms.

Mike

A few companies donate seed for community gardens. Check out Fedco (I believe they must have a written request by the end of December) and Underwood Gardens. I bet Baker Creek has a seed donation program as well. They will most likely send you seeds that will grow in your area.

Off hand I would suggest growing tomatoes, beans, peppers, cukes, chard, carrots and squash.

I second Baker Creek. I would also grow winter squash, onion, and potatoes. These can be used, stored, shipped and everyone knows what to do with them. See if you can get some material for trellises and let the squash vine up the trellis.

Dan

Mitch,

That sounds like a wonderful idea. I've never dealt with rareseeds, so I can't speak about their service, but they do have a huge variety to choose from. I have used a different company for all my seeds since I went all heirlooms about 4 years ago. (heirloomseeds.com) As the name would suggest, all they do is heirlooms. They are located in western PA, and are a small family run organization. (They shut down for periods of time when they get overwhelmed with orders.) But they have excellent customer service. As an example, every time I order from them they send along free (bonus) seed packets. For example, I ordered two varieties of onion seeds, they sent a 3rd. I ordered 3 varieties of lettuce, they sent along a 4th. The same with tomatoes, pumpkins and winter squash. Basically, any plant that I ordered multiple varieties of, they sent an extra variety for free. They are also have the lowest prices I've seen. Most of their packets are $1.25. I am about to place an order for next spring, and the most expensive thing on my list (2 varieties of peppers are $1.50). They tell you exactly how many seeds are in each packet, unless packed by weight. They also usually add an extra 10-20% extra seeds/packet. For example, a packet of Cherokee Purple I got were supposed to have 20 seeds, there were at least 25 in the packet. They also offer "traditional garden selections" meaning they send you like 100 different varieties of seeds from a variety of plants. Beans, corn, tomatoes, beets, carrots, lettuce, chard, etc. These are nice, because if you have a large garden, you don't have to put too much thought into every single item to be purchased.

As far as selecting the varieties, I would suggest:

1) Go for the veggies that most people purchase. While growing something exotic can be fun, it won't help if nobody wants to eat it. (This is a standard in gardening... grow what you like to eat!)

2) Go for varieties with high yields per acreage. The more you can produce in that space, the better off folks will be if they are in need of food. (Corn is a standard item that just requires a TON of space. If you have a good size area, it can be worthwhile, but if not, it is just too expensive to deal with - expense in space taken up and time in the garden.)

3) Go for varieties that offer disease or pest resistance. Nothing like having all your effort go to waste because of that! Very discouraging.

4) Season extenders are the key to really being successful. Check out Eliot Coleman's "Four Season Harvest" from the library. It is full of tips and tricks for getting the most from your garden, year round. He lives in Maine, and still is able to harvest greens, even in the coldest darkest times of the year.

5) Have fun...Try things you never liked before. Often times, fresh produce straight from the garden tastes significantly different from what is available in stores, and you may actually like the stuff that has always repulsed you in the past.

6) Remember crop rotations. But, also try to have 4 different growing seasons. Early Spring (needs protection), Main Season (can be started early if you protect the frost tender plants like tomatoes, peppers, etc.), Late Season (extending the season on the back up will give you a longer harvest period, and might even take you straight through the winter), Winter Season (plants don't have to die in the winter, they just stop growing. Hardy plants will still be very tasty even if they freeze and thaw out. **Only pick them when they are thawed, however!**)

You might also take a look at this thread for a similar question.

DarJones

Here is a link that might be useful: thread on survival food

Here is a link to a winter sowing site that provides seeds to various groups and schools. There is postage and handling, but Trudi is very generous and helpful! On the home page there is a link for groups needing seeds(small pink box on the left). It's a very informative site for those not familiar with winter sowing.

Here is a link that might be useful: winter sowing seeds