Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds
Gardeners are rediscovering the time-honored tradition of seed saving. By growing and storing your own seeds, you can save money; use seeds from plants that have thrived in your particular growing conditions; preserve your favorite strains of vegetables and flowers; and share seeds with family, friends, and neighbors. Marc Rogers offers everything you need to know to successfully raise, harvest, and store seeds for a lifetime of productive gardens.
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Our grandparents did it. And their grandparents before them. In fact, saving seeds is as old as gardening itself. Why then is it such a neglected component of gardening today? Many say that because seeds from catologs are so cheap we don't need to save our own. Have you figured out lately what you spend on seeds each year to grow the same plant? (And doesn't it seem to be a little more each year?) Now multiply that figure by the number of years you expect to have a garden. Adds up, doesn't it? But even if it still doesn't seem like a lot, the bottom line is that it's money you just don't have to spend! Let Marc Rogers introduce you to the world of seed saving, where you will save money, strengthen your plant strains, and find a new appreciation and understanding of your garden. Library Journal This compact, clearly written book explains how to select, harvest, and store seeds from more than 100 vegetables and flowers commonly grown in home gardens. It is packed with common-sense advice including how to pollinate, how to avoid unwanted crosses, and which plant qualities to look for. Novice and skilled gardeners alike will wish to experiment with this rewarding and satisfying practice. Those seeking information on the history behind the principles of saving seeds may enjoy Gary Paul Nabhan's Enduring Seeds: Native American Agriculture and Wild Plant Conservation ( LJ 3/1/89). Recommended for gardening collections.-- Annette Aiello, Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst . , Panama
Part I: Basic Information Chapter 1 Why Raise Seeds? Chapter 2 What Is a Seed? Chapter 3 How Seeds Are Formed Chapter 4 Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials Chapter 5 Pollination Chapter 6 Selecting Seed Parents Chapter 7 Collecting Seeds Chapter 8 Extracting and Drying Seeds Chapter 9 Storing Seeds Chapter 10 Testing Seeds Part II: The Vegetables Table I: Characteristics of Common Vegetables Saved for Seed Monocotyledoneae Poaceae (Grass Family) Liliaceae (Lily Family) Dicotyledoneae Polygonaceae (Buckwheat or Rhubarb Family) Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family) Tetragoniaceae (New Zealand Spinach Family) Brassicaceae (Mustard or Cabbage Family) Fabaceae (Bean Family) Malvaceae (Mallow Family) Apiaceae (Celery Family) Solanaceae (Nightshade Family) Cucurbitaceae (Gourd or Cucumber Family) Asteraceae (Aster Family) Table II: A Checklist of Some Seed-Borne Vegetable Diseases Part III: The Flowers The Best Flowering Ornamentals to Save for Seed Mail Order Seed Sources Further Reading Glossary for Gardeners Average Frost Date Maps
