Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation [Paperback]

Lynn Coulter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2006

Heirloom seeds are more than the promise of next summer's crookneck squash or jewel-colored zinnias. They're living antiques handed down from one generation to the next, a rich inheritance of flavor and beauty from long ago and, often, far away. They are sometimes better adapted to pests and harsh conditions than many modern varieties and often simply smell or taste better. Gardening with Heirloom Seeds serves as a resource for gardeners, cooks, and plant lovers of all levels of expertise who want to know more about finding, sharing, and propagating the seeds of heirloom flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

In these beautifully illustrated pages, Lynn Coulter describes fifty old-fashioned species that have their roots in the past, from the Frenchman's Darling, a flowering herb whose seeds were pocketed by Napoleon Bonaparte when he invaded Egypt in 1798, to Snow White beets, an old Dutch favorite that will not stain the cook's fingers red. Most of the plants included here will grow all across the United States; a few are best suited for warmer climates.

The text is sprinkled with practical advice from heirloom gardeners and lists sources for finding the seeds of many old varieties. Because it also provides room for notes, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds can be used year after year and can become an heirloom in its own right--a personal journal to pass along to the next generation of gardeners.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coulter sets out to provide readers with "a sampler for heirloom seeds" to learn about and grow. Each of her four chapters focuses on a single season, with an informative essay on its tasks and pleasures and descriptions of heirloom garden plants, including an overview, recommended varieties and helpful growing tips. While the listings are far from exhaustive, they include a wide enough range of edible and ornamental plants to populate a large and varied garden. They also provide well-researched, lively descriptions, including fascinating facts about common plants and their uses throughout history. For example, readers will be delighted to learn that the green paint used to illustrate medieval manuscripts was made from spinach, and that carbon dating has placed the pea as far back as 9750 B.C. This makes Coulter's book an ideal armchair companion to seed catalogues—an extremely popular genre in their own right. Coulter's organization does violate some conventions: vegetables are intermingled with flowers, and annuals are not clearly distinguished from perennials. Still, her stylish, interesting text, an exhaustive listing of sources for heirloom seeds and numerous color and b&w illustrations make this a welcome addition to every gardener's bookshelf. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A well-written, useful, nicely organized, and beautifully illustrated book. For die-hard gardeners who grow plants from seed, it's a great experience."
—Washington Gardener

"The 'living antiques' of fruit, vegetable, and flower worlds get their due in Lynn Coulter's premier book, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds. Through lush photography and fascinating stories about seeds lost and found, Coulter inspires the urge to plant these rare beauties, and provides some basic growing tips to boot."
— Midwest Home

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (June 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807856800
• ISBN-13: 978-0807856802
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to my Amazon page! I'm the author of Mustard Seeds: Thoughts on the Nature of God and Faith (B&H Books) and Gardening with Heirloom Seeds (UNC Press). My new book, Little Mercies: Celebrating God's Everyday Grace and Goodness, was released in March 2011.

I'm also a freelance journalist who has written for Delta Sky, Southern Living, Family Circle, AAA Traveler, and many other magazines and newspapers. My short stories and articles for kids have appeared in Ranger Rick, Pockets, Jack and Jill, Fantastic Flyer, and more.

Currently I live near Atlanta with my husband and son. I often speak at writing conferences and workshops; women's events; and gardening festivals. I'm also working on a novel for middle-graders.

I love to hear from readers, so visit me at www.LynnCoulter.com. That's also where you can find "The Bark," a blog posted by loyal office assistant/rescue doggie, Miss Paws.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for every home gardener., July 30, 2006

By 

C. Hester "a southern gardener" (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation (Hardcover)

Vintage, antique, old-timey. Use your own choice of words to apply to collecting venerable items. Antique automobiles, vintage clothing, and heirloom seeds. All have their unique charm and attraction to certain aficionados.

Numerous authoritative books have been written about antique automobiles and vintage clothing to informally educate the reader in those subjects. Now, I'm pleased to see a book written that performs the same function for home gardeners.

My wife and I prize our ginger, brought from Hawaii in 1960 by her mother. Each fall its incredibly aromatic blooms transform our front entrance into a perfumery envied and enjoyed by all. While the ginger is a bulb rather than a seed, it is heirloom and extremely valuable to us.

Through the years, my wife and I have often stopped at old homesteads and gotten cuttings and seeds from their generous owners. These people, proud of their plants, many times have regaled us with the history of their unique plants.

Even so, I never really thought of documenting the history behind many of these rare finds that I wanted for their color, overall structure, or scent. Indeed, I had never considered many aspects of heirloom seeds, per se, until I read this wonderfully researched and informative book. I am very grateful that Lynn Coulter has taken the time and made the effort to document this information.

Most people today are familiar with Angel Trumpet (moonflower) vine, a night bloomer that is unique in its own right. But we have moonflower shrubs that came many years ago from an old homestead in Stamps, Arkansas. Their history can be traced back generations. It is the importance of these types of seeds that makes Gardening With Heirloom Seeds such a valuable, informative, and interesting book to read.

Knowing the history and availability of heirloom seeds will once again send me to my planning template as I search for just the right location to put `one more gem'. I strongly urge anyone interested in bringing a touch of the past to their modern gardens to get a copy of this book for their use and reference. It is one volume every serious gardener should have.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An heirloom in itself, July 15, 2006

By 

Barbara A. Runkel (smyrna, ga usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation (Paperback)

A must for anyone who cherishes the beauty and bounty of a garden. This book is well-written, meticulously researched, and beautifully photographed. The information and wisdom it provides on flower and vegetable varieties handed down through the generations are well worth any gardener's attention.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book for gardeners, August 27, 2006

By 

L. W. Evans - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation (Hardcover)

This is a book that should be in everyone's collection. Not only does it tell you what you need to know about heirloom seeds it has some of the most beautiful and real pictures of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The section on where to find seeds is most helpful.