How much seed should a prepper family store? Less than most people think for vegetables, and more than most kits hold for the calorie crops. A family of four that wants fresh vegetables all season needs roughly 400 square feet of garden, and a family that wants to can, dry and store a year of vegetables needs 800 to 1,200 square feet or more (a common planning rule is about 100 square feet per person for fresh eating and 200 to 300 for preserving). One 35-variety kit holds enough lettuce, carrot, tomato and pepper seed to plant that space for several years. What runs out first is beans, peas, corn and squash, the big-seeded crops that supply calories. Plan your seed bank around garden space and those crops, not total seed count.
If you want a starting point, our Survival Seed Vault Kit covers 35 heirloom vegetables, including the main calorie crops, in a resealable Mylar bag.
Why seed count is the wrong number
Kits advertise total seeds, but small seeds inflate that number. A 2 gram carrot packet holds about 2,000 seeds, enough for well over a hundred feet of row. A packet of bush beans the same price holds about 25 seeds, enough for 6 to 8 feet of row. So a kit with "16,000 seeds" is mostly carrots, lettuce and other tiny seed, and that's fine: those are the crops where one packet really does go a long way.
The useful question is crop by crop: how many feet of row or how many plants does my family want, and how many packets does that take?
How much to store for a family of four
These are rough planning numbers for one growing season. Seed counts are approximate and vary by variety and lot.
| Crop group | What one packet plants | Store for a family of four |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce and greens | 2 g of lettuce is about 1,800-2,300 seeds: many sowings | 1 packet per variety, replaced every few years |
| Carrots, beets, radishes | 2 g of carrot is about 2,000 seeds; beets and radishes about 175-285 | 1-2 packets each; extra beets if you can them |
| Tomatoes and peppers | 300 mg of tomato is about 135-165 seeds | 1 packet per variety covers a family planting (a few dozen plants) for several years |
| Squash, pumpkin, melons | 3 g of winter squash is about 25 seeds, or 8-12 hills | 2-3 packets of each winter squash you rely on for storage |
| Beans and peas | About 25 bean seeds, or 6-8 feet of row | Buy in bulk: plan on roughly half a pound to a pound of seed per 100 feet of row |
| Sweet corn | 11 g is roughly 50-70 seeds | 2+ packets per planting; corn needs a block of at least 4 short rows to pollinate |
| Onions and parsnips | Hundreds of seeds, but they only keep about a year | Buy fresh every year instead of storing |
Notice the pattern: the leafy and root crops are covered by any decent kit, while beans, peas, corn and squash need extra. Our bean seeds and squash seeds are sold by the packet, and the 5-variety bean pack adds about 115 bean seeds across bush, pole and lima types.
Be honest about calories
Vegetables are vitamins, fiber and flavor. They are not enough calories to live on. Lettuce, tomatoes and peppers barely register. The crops that add real calories are dry beans, corn, winter squash, pumpkins and potatoes, and even those take a lot of space to feed a family for a year. A seed bank is a way to keep producing fresh food and to stretch stored food, not a replacement for it. If calories matter to your plan, give beans, squash and corn the biggest share of your space and your seed budget.
Potatoes deserve a note: they're grown from seed potatoes (tubers), not true seed, and tubers don't store for years. If potatoes are part of your plan, you'll need a source each spring or a cool spot to keep your own over winter.
Build the seed bank in three layers
- A broad base. One kit with 35 or more labeled vegetable varieties gives you range and lets you learn what grows in your zone. Our Homestead Seed Vault Kit combines the Seed Vault and Seed Safe for 70 varieties with no overlap, which suits a family-size garden.
- Extra calorie crops. Add bean, pea, corn and winter squash packets on top of the kit, sized to the space you'll actually plant.
- Herbs and pollinator flowers. Squash, melons and cucumbers need bees to set fruit. A few rows of flowers bring them in, and herbs cover flavor and tea. The Ultimate Survival Seed Kit packs vegetables, herbs and flowers (140 packets) into an ammo can. You can compare every size in our survival seed kits, or read how to compare survival seed vault kits.
How to store a seed bank
Seed lasts longest cool, dark and dry. University of California garden guidance notes that seed can keep a year or two in a cool, dark, dry place, and several years in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. In practice:
- Keep seed in airtight packaging: Mylar bags, jars or an ammo can with a good seal.
- Store it somewhere with steady temperatures. A closet in the house beats a garage or attic that swings hot and cold.
- If you freeze seed, make sure it's dry first, and let the container warm to room temperature before you open it so moisture doesn't condense on the seed.
- Label everything with the year you bought or saved it.
How long seed lasts depends on the crop. Onions, leeks and parsnips are about 1 year; peppers, okra and sweet corn about 2-3; beans and peas about 3; tomatoes, squash and carrots about 4; cucumbers, melons and radishes about 5. Our seed viability guide has the full chart and a simple germination test, and our long-term seed storage guide covers packaging in detail.
Rotate it: plant some every year
A seed bank that sits in a closet for ten years is a gamble. The safer plan is to treat it like stored food: use some, replace it, and keep it fresh.
- Plant part of it every season. You'll learn which varieties do well in your zone before you ever depend on them. Our 4x8 raised bed plan is an easy first test.
- Replace short-lived seed yearly. Onion, leek and parsnip seed should be fresh each year.
- Save seed from open-pollinated crops. Beans, peas, lettuce and tomatoes are the easiest: they mostly pollinate themselves, so saved seed grows true. Squash crosses with other squash of the same species, and corn needs a large planting to save good seed, so start with the easy ones. Why heirloom seeds matter for a survival garden explains why hybrid seed won't work for this.
- Test old seed before you count on it. Roll 10 seeds in a damp paper towel; if 7 sprout, it's 70% germination and you sow a little thicker.
When you're ready to lay out a bigger plot, our guide to planting a survival garden walks through location, soil and layout.
FAQ
How many seeds should I store per person?
Think in garden space instead: about 100 square feet per person for fresh eating and 200 to 300 for preserving. A 35-variety kit covers the small-seeded vegetables for that space; add extra beans, peas, corn and squash for each person you plan to feed.
How long will a seed bank last?
Most vegetable seed stays good for 3 to 5 years when kept cool, dark and dry, with some crops shorter (onions, parsnips) and some longer (lettuce, cucumbers). Cold storage in airtight containers stretches that. Planting and replacing part of it every year keeps it fresh indefinitely.
Can I store seeds in the freezer?
Yes, if the seed is dry and the container is airtight. Let the container reach room temperature before opening it, and only take out what you need.
Is a survival seed kit enough to feed a family?
A kit gives you the seed, but the food comes from space, time and skill. Most families also need extra calorie-crop seed, a garden of several hundred square feet or more, and a season or two of practice. Pair your seed bank with stored food.
More questions about our seeds and kits are answered on our FAQ page.
Reviewed by Ryan, owner of Gardeners Basics, an heirloom seed company that ships from Spanish Fork, Utah.
