The odds are pretty good that you know someone who always seems to have his nose buried in a catalog published by any of a number of heirloom seeds for sale. Well, guess what? He’s going to have a lot of company as the economy continues to decline. “Preppers” in particular know that it’s a good idea to find out where to get free seed catalogs and start working on food independence.

Check out your local home and gardening stores; some of them will probably have bins full of free seed catalogs. Some major big box stores have gardening sections where free catalogs offering heirloom seeds for sale will be available. Many free seed catalogs can be downloaded from the Web, or ordered via e-mail.

And here’s a thought: Some civic groups offer not only free seed catalogs, but free seeds to people willing to donate part of what they grow to local food banks. The Dinner Garden, for example, is one of several national organizations that work companies offering heirloom seeds for sale to provide free seeds to people interested in starting gardens of their own. Other charitable organizations and civic groups offer free seeds to those willing to “grow a row” of produce to donate to food pantries and similar outreach programs. Seed exchanges and seed swap groups will likewise provide free seeds to people on request. If you find one in your town, ask them where you can grab a few free seed catalogs.

Some companies that offer heirloom seeds for sale will probably send a free seed catalog on request. What are “heirlooms”? Simply put, “heirloom” bulk seeds are varieties that have been preserved in their purity for many years – sometimes for centuries. They are strains that come from a time before herbicides and pesticides, before Big Agriculture turned food from a delicious source of sustenance into a profitable corporate commodity. They yield produce that retains the full nutritional potency we need, and the taste at least some of us can dimly remember from our childhood.

Just as importantly, bulk seeds of the heirloom type avoid the potential pitfalls found in hybrid and GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds, which are widely in use today.

Furthermore, non-hybrid, non-GMO organic bulk seeds can be recovered and re-planted. The chief advantage here is the ability to preserve a pure strain – and to enhance the self-sufficiency of the farmer and consumer.

Once again, the chief advantage of organic, non-GMO bulk seeds is difficult to verify scientifically: The food they produce actually tastes like food.

With times growing leaner and household grocery bills getting heavier, people are increasingly looking to grow more of their own food. Now is the time to get started on a garden, if only to supplement the household food supply and take some of the load off the weekly grocer’s bill. Heirloom seeds for sale are a resource just waiting to be tapped.