I would like to start off with a story which to this day I cannot explain , something that occurred back in 2018 , at the time I was working in construction and had about 9 years in that field .. I was tired of the long drives and repetitive back breaking labor which I felt was not my purpose , during that time I would in my silent contemplation asking for a sign any sign pointing to a direction from anything that might be listening , …one day I received thru the mail a necklace by accident from a seller on ebay in place of something else I had ordered ….. I do not recall what that something was … The necklace had an inscription which read , "when you feel like quitting ,think about why you started " At the time I had been entertaining for some years the possibility of starting a homestead , centered around self sufficiency and independence from the 9-5 grind .. But I lacked the resources to make the move , most of what i earned went to bill/expenses.
One day my father and I were driving back from a job site about 2 hours drive from our home , on our way back home we decided to get some coffee for the long drive back , as we pulled into a vons parking lot there was a woman age late teens early 20's outside the vons playing an accordion asking for spare change , as we parked my father got out and went into the vons to the starbucks inside , I approached the woman , as i got close I noticed there was now a man around the same age next to her , he was now playing the accordion , I stood there as he played and when he was done I took off the necklace I had received in the mail , and said to him that the value of the necklace is maybe 99 cents , but the message was so that when ever he felt like quitting , that he remember why he started , he smiled I placed a few bucks in his case and went back to the car, two weeks later I find that same necklace hanging from my mothers bedroom wall … when I asked her where she had found it , she said that is was on the drive way , and she thought it might belong to some one from the house so she kept it . I was not able to explain how this necklace made it back to our homes drive way .. a few months later I was telling this story to a woman I was talking to at the time who worked as an EMT , as I finished telling her the story she said " oh they died " " and they wanted you to have the necklace back as a thank you for showing them kindness in life , also the necklace wasn't meant for them , it was meant for you .. till this day I still get a shiver up my spine when re calling this story .. I am inclined to believe her point of view as she was used to seeing death in her field off work , od's stabbings etc etc , and she confessed to me that there were times that the spirits of the newly deceased would some times follow her home , in fact the same time I told her this story on facetime , a light blue orb floated infront of her face , she seemed unphased by this happening , she said the dead tend to return items once they are gone , hence her belief that they were dead .
It was around that time .. that I began my seed collecting journey , inspired by the quote from the movie field of dreams "if you build it they will come " I began to invest what spare income I had on purchasing seeds , at the time the strategy was to migrate to Mexico and buy land there as it was significantly less expensive ,so in the mean time I would collect as many varieties of all sorts of seeds waiting for the day when I along with family I would relocate there as we had been talking about moving there to begin this homestead …years went by and what began as a simple purchase of seeds , evolved into creating a diverse seed collection consisting of different medicinal herbs, fruit trees , medicinal trees, fruit , vegetables , cut flowers , and every time I thought the collection was complete I would discover a different variety , that was unique in color, nutrient density , medicinal properties etc etc , this went on for approximately 8 years .. In this time I have invested an unknown amount of money in the purchase seeds , in trading , harvesting out in the streets , anywhere I could get them , the time invested is probably the largest investment as much research went into studying the various plants ,whether it was diving into the medicinal uses of plants , nutrient denseness of plants, leafy greens , uses for trees , etc etc ,
In the last 8 years the message from the necklace along with how it got to me have been a main driving force in the seed collection , this collection has endured relationship ruptures with girlfriends , friends, even family members. That simple line helped me weather some of the darkest moments in my life and the belief that there was something worth fighting for on the other side of the dark night , disappointments ,betrayals , back stabbings , gossip .. etc At this point I am loosing interest in adding to the collection , and am having to re think why I started , I started because the potential I saw in the plant world , the ability to create abundance, in a colorful display of colors ,flavors and life satisfaction. with no money to buy land , I find myself questioning the next move , I have been self employed for the last few years selling plants /seeds as a way to survive , but it was always just that surviving , never being able to save enough for the purchase of land ..I have made efforts in the past to have work thru a warehouse/factory . However I become discouraged by the passive aggressive attitudes that tend to develop when you have a large enough concentration of unhappy people slaving away just to get by , my ability to tolerate such environments is not the best . This tends to be a factor in how long I last in these job setting , I don't mind so much the laboring aspect , rather dealing with the unhappy .
where do I go from here ? was my goal off ? was the approach unrealistic ? I have asked these questions many times before , I have attempted in the past to connect with land owners who have the resources to create this space , I have posted on craigslist ,some facebook groups , with no success , which has left me questioning this direction I am headed in . What would you do if you were in my position ? How would I go about connecting with other like minded people ? Ive thought about joining a community of sorts like , intentional communities , not sure where to search for such people .
by Dramatic_Corgi8296
23 Comments
Tl;dr
Your collection is amazing. I’d love some seeds. I think you may need to move to TikTok and showcase this for more money , or attention, just exploring the process of what you’ve done. Don’t give up. Just re-route.
This is probably AI.
No chance I’m reading all that without a TL;DR LMAO
I’m so confused and I’m afraid to read
This is going to seem like a very random suggestion, but I think you should start reading about and getting into regenerative systems, regenerative thinking, and regenerative farming.
And read some Robin Wall-Kimmerer
(Braiding Sweetgrass, The Serviceberry, etc)
books while in pursuit of the regenerative content
Maybe becoming a trained herbalist or naturalist is in your path, or maybe it’s something else entirely.
Your third paragraph really resonated with me, and these were my first thoughts. I also just started my seed library this year. Respect for the work you’ve done.
The collection you’ve put together is precious. Do you know about Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah Iowa? They are the most well known seed bank in the US. Additionally there are many local seed exchange groups that would welcome your participation
There are a couple smaller seed sellers that I discovered through insta, and have purchased from them as well.
I wonder if you could reach out to one of them and ask if you can visit, learn, ask questions?
Turning your hobby in to a professional is supposed to be the ticket to success in life. I just know a woman went on line and asked her neighbors if they’d loan her a small.corner of their yards so she could grow flowers, and now that same farmer has a thriving business with employees.
So…dream big! You know where you want to go, you’ve got the pics to prove it! Next step? Tell yourself you’re serious and you’re gonna take the leap! Go to the library! Find similar businesses near you and prowl around. Ask questions! See if there are garden clubs near you.
I sometimes see seeds in gift shops; either local wildflower seeds sold as postcards, or with little gift things, flowers for bees packaged with local honey. So maybe you come up with some.cute packaging and partner with a local soap maker, or a candlemaker…even veggie seeds with a cutting board? Eh. OK, that might be silly. It’s fun though isn’t it? Say you’re “in” and then all the possibilities start popping up in the imagination!
Go go! You’ve already started, that’s the hard part! So congrats, yes you’ve got this, and remember to post here again when your successes start rolling in
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Your who I want to be when I grow up
It feels to me that personal wealth is not your quest, but more spiritual wealth. Have you ever considered partnering with a local city and being an instructor on urban gardening or horticulture. Not sure where you are, but there is mass appeal about sustainable practices especially amongst those who live in urban areas with minimal space. Working in a community garden, stewarding that land, passing on knowledge and gaining intrinsic fulfillment. Even offering private lessons on growing your own harvest and selling seeds could generate side income. However, these options are highly dependent on where you reside.
Absolutely stunning collection.
I lurked and saw your double teddy bear sunflowers. Extremely impressed 😁
Selling plants, seeds and cut flowers can be a successful business. I would suggest selling on etsy for plants, seedlings and seeds. Perhaps leasing land or even growing in front yard could be a way foward. Perhaps you could partner with an existing nursery, such as those specializing in native plants and wild flowers. They have the set up and land, you could bring in the vast collection of seeds. Perhaps there is such a homestead out there which is struggling to survive and you could find some sort of partnership arrangement with them. Perhaps focusing on buying land for a homestead when it seems unreachable is the stumbling block. How about a country other than mexico? There are expats in Thailand, which is probably much cheaper.
Have you tried community gardens? People there tend to know a lot about the land, work with others and may be able to help you out achieving your dream (or maybe even be a part of it).
I myself love the idea of gardening to provide food for everyone, and have done what I can with what I have. I have a small balcony, and I use it to grow jalapeños, lemons, tomatoes, garlic , nopales, etc.
Where is a picture of the necklace ?
I’ve got to show this to my wife so she understands what “too many seeds” can really look like
Ok I am just like you but in Australia… My mum used to quote field of dreams all the time hence why I clicked on the post, I honestly thought these were seasonings or dired herbs you’d collected. For context, my mum just passed away 3 months ago so maybe there’s something in that.
I have a huge seed collection (mainly medicinals and flowers), probably thousands of dollars worth that I started collecting after i moved out of home for the first time and went crazy living in an apartment not being able to touch soil.
Covid happened and I ended up moving back in with my mum, I did a complete 180 from applying to medical schools to studying herbalism under a master herbalist. Towards the end of 2024 I tried to throw all my seeds out because I couldnt see the point anymore and my mum saved them for me and gave them back to me at the end of last year. Ar that point I had just moved out and had a baby and was finally in the mental space where I wanted to try growing things again.
My time is super limited being a new mum without help from my mum (first of all my friends and family to have a baby too) and I have no idea what I’m going to do with all my seeds but I’m getting to the point where they are all expiring or expired so I’m trying to sow a few packets a day. I’m mass planting and only saving the seeds of things I love and being a bit ruthless with what I save to cut down on my collection (e.g. only keeping the best tasting peas, only the easiest most rewarding herbs that I actually use, getting rid of anything I have to mollycoddle, and saving seeds from my best performers – basically survival of the fittest with the idea of developing my own varieties).
Land is expensive here too, I will be getting a small inheritance if we sell my mum’s house, and if that happens the plan is to use that for a house down payment, so I’ve told my partner my only condition for finding a place is it has to have a garden.
Edit: got the year wrong, it was 2024
It is not clear to me what you are asking help with?
Is it how to earn enough money to purchase land so that you can then begin to plant your seeds, build a home and become self sustainable?
I didn’t read your entire post. I just saw the picture and wasn’t sure what these were jars of.
Just want to say please keep these in a dark room / put dark paper over the jars as light is damaging to anything being stored long term.
Get a mate to interview you about this. Plan it out, ask appropriate questions. This is like a plant lab lol!
Incredible. You’re doing a beautiful thing here.
I’ve got a small collection of seeds, but I’ve been dreaming big with them. I visited a seed farm recently, where I got most of my seeds for my garden, and realized it is entirely possible to live on seeds.
Yesterday, I pulled all the seeds from one of my plants and got 26g of seeds. The original packet sold for $5 with 2.6g of seeds by weight. That’s $50 from one plant.
Now say you have space for 12 plants of these plants and they yield 20g to 30g each, that’s $38-$58 per plant! That’s $450 to $700 from a dozen plants.
If you have anywhere you can grow consistently, even if its just a window planter or pots on your doorstep, grow high-value plants, spend time with them, give them love and hearty appreciation as you watch their life cycle through the season. When they senesce, collect their seeds, sell them, supplement your income, heck put it into an operational budget.
You have the ability to help connect people with the natural world through gardening and stewardship. That’s an honorable purpose. Let those seeds help you grow. I hope to try the same one day… When my collection is a bit more robust lol
Dude.
Consider that you have OCD or autism or both.
On top of that – seeds in room temp have best before date after which the sprouting percentage drops rapidly. That’s why seed banks keep theirs near freezing.
Room temp seeds last in good condition for around 5-5 years.
As for the land – ask yourself if you even wanna tend to the land?
Because that is also hard work and backbreaking task.
If so – you probably have a back garden? start there. You don’t need a farm to be more self sufficient.
I would be very interested in following you if you made a social media account for seeds