Post apocalyptic - what seeds do you grab & grow?

You grab everything edible. Even if you don't happen to like a specific type of veggie someone else may and you can trade the seeds for something else you need.

Farming is more than just tossing some seeds on the ground though. You need to know when to plant, how to plant, and when to harvest different items. You would also need to know how to collect seeds from these different plants so you can sustain yourself for more than one season. Some plants do not produce seeds until the second year in the ground.

Many things would be gone from the average gardener. Potatoes are almost exclusively grown by other "seed potatoes" these days and very few places will have actual seeds. Just try to find any true potato seeds in any gardening catalog. You can't.

Working the land by hand would be a back breaking ordeal. Think about digging up your entire yard by hand with a shovel. Think of the blisters and sore back and arms. It would take many hours if not days for most people.

Even after that and you've planted everything you still have to get out there and dig out weeds. If you don't your harvest will be very poor. Then there's watering the entire yard when it's dry. If it's a scenario like you describe there may be no running water. That means hauling water in buckets.

Then there are the bugs.... Bugs that like to eat your crops.

This of course doesn't even take into consideration the fact that you need a method to store what you grow. Home canning requires a pressure canner and lots of jars and lids. Dehydrating is a possibility for many crops but if there is no power then you would have to construct a solar dehydrator. Solar can work but it takes much longer and generally your foods won't store as long. Rain and high humidity can make the process last for several days for a single batch.

If you planned to survive on your own it's not just seeds you would need to grab. You would need plenty of knowledge on how to do it all. 90% of all Americans would likely starve instead.

Some say they would go off into the woods and live off the land. Good luck with that. While it's possible for one person to do it try adding 300 million more people. Wild edibles would be gone overnight. Wildlife and fish populations would dwindle to nothing within two weeks.

In addition to the seeds mentioned already, in such a world, I highly recommend you take opium poppy seeds,

the source of morphine & codeine, not for fun, but, in a world without Drs. & drugstores, this plant's juice

(the opium part) will make you" feel" cured of almost any malady(but not curing it), plus useful for pain, injuries,

preventing shock, stopping diarrhea & coughing, lowering high blood sugar in diabetes, and in a pinch, can

be used as a calming agent for anxiety & such. No other drug plant has as many uses, even exceeding pot.

You may want to look up Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

As far as for US emergencies are concerned, corn and wheat will be very important for bread, and feeding livestock. So will be rice, and all the legumes for protein. Vegetables will be important too: fresh green beans and peas, squash, all the cabbage family including broccoli and kale. All vegetables in general, and sugar beets.

Heirloom variety veg and plants. You can save the seeds.