The Seed Garden

The Art and Practice of Seed Saving

The Seed Garden cover
Pages:350 pages
Book Art:Full-color illustrations throughout
Size: 8 x 10 inch
Publisher:Seed Savers Exchange
Pub. Date: May 4, 2015
ISBN: 9780988474918

The Seed Garden

The Art and Practice of Seed Saving

Contributions by Jared Zystro, Micaela Colley
Edited by Lee Buttala, Shanyn Siegel
Availability: In stock

Paperback

$25.97

In stock



Winner of the American Horticultural Society Award for Excellence In Garden Book Publishing

Winner of the Silver Medal for Best Reference from the Garden Writer’s Association

Filled with advice for the home gardener and the more seasoned horticulturist alike, The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving provides straightforward instruction on collecting seed that is true-to-type and ready for sowing in next year’s garden. In this comprehensive book, Seed Savers Exchange, one of the foremost American authorities on the subject, and the Organic Seed Alliance bring together decades of knowledge to demystify the time-honored tradition of saving the seed of more than seventy-five coveted vegetable and herb crops—from heirloom tomatoes and long-favored varieties of beans, lettuces, and cabbages to centuries-old varieties of peppers and grains.

With clear instructions, lush photographs, and easy-to-comprehend profiles on individual vegetable crops, this book not only teaches us how to go about conserving these important varieties for future generations and for planting out in next year’s garden, it also provides a deeper understanding of the importance of saving these genetically valuable varieties of vegetables that have evolved over the centuries through careful selection by farmers and home gardeners.

Through simple lessons and master classes on crop selection, pollination, roguing, and the processes of harvesting and storing seeds, this book ensures that these time-honored traditions can continue. Many of these vegetable varieties are treasured for traits that are singular to their strain, whether that is a resistance to disease, an ability to grow well in a region for which that crop is not typically well suited, resistance to early bolting, or simply because it is a great-tasting variety. In an age of genetically modified crops and hybrid seed, a growing appreciation for saving seeds of these time-tested, open-pollinated cultivars has found a new audience from home vegetable gardeners and cooks to restaurant chefs and local farmers.

Whether interested in simply saving seeds for home use or working to conserve rare varieties of beloved squashes and tomatoes, this book provides a deeper understanding of the art, the science, and the joy of saving seeds.

 

Reviews and Praise

  • "An indispensable, brilliantly written, and beautifully illustrated resource."–Paul Oster, garden columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


More Reviews and Praise


  • "This is the only book people will need to grow plants and save their seed."–Jeff Cox, garden columnist

  • "A comprehensive overview of seed-saving – both art and science."–Margaret Roach, blogger and garden writer, A Way to Garden

  • "Critical information packaged in an attractive way."–Rita Haster, botanical librarian for the Morton Arboretum



Reviews and Praise

  • "An indispensable, brilliantly written, and beautifully illustrated resource."–Paul Oster, garden columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More Reviews and Praise
  • "This is the only book people will need to grow plants and save their seed."–Jeff Cox, garden columnist

  • "A comprehensive overview of seed-saving – both art and science."–Margaret Roach, blogger and garden writer, A Way to Garden

  • "Critical information packaged in an attractive way."–Rita Haster, botanical librarian for the Morton Arboretum