Heirloom Vegetables: A Home Gardener's Guide to Finding and Growing Vegetables from the Past (Paperback)

by Sue Stickland (Author), Kent Whealy (Author), David Cavagnaro (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The very act of vegetable gardening implies a sense of care for the environment and a desire to control one's own food supply. There is a huge diversity of vegetable varieties available, but many gardeners have been limited by seed supplies to a few industrially engineered hybrids that lack the natural pest tolerance, environmental range, and flavor of the older types. In recent years, however, a cadre of dedicated natural gardeners such as Sue Stickland have begun to spread the word about heirloom vegetables that used to be grown by farmers and home gardeners, their seeds preserved by organizations such as the Seed Savers Exchange. Heirloom Vegetables offers a wealth of historical and practical information about these varieties: where to find them, how to select the right ones for your garden, and how to ensure their growth. It's an excellent addition to any serious gardener's library.

From Booklist
Before the not-so-future designer gene banks for humans are established now come the very real repositories for seeds of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Stickland, along with consultant Whealy (one of the founders of Seed Savers Exchange), proffers a much-needed introduction for gardeners and chefs who realize that variety is more than just the spice of life. Here is the rationale for preserving vegetable beginnings--and the penalty for not doing so; in the space of 10 years, the authors estimate, more than two-thirds of nonhybrid vegetable varieties disappeared from popular catalogs. Add to the proselytizing some true, hard data: a discussion of corporate involvement, breeding trends, and legal and illegal sproutings, among other topics. Yet an even more functional resource follows: a directory--complete with description, germination time, cultivation, best use, and suppliers--that could easily go solo as a welcomed reference. Barbara Jacobs

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684838079
• ISBN-13: 978-0684838076
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorites for gardening inspiration, February 1, 2007

By	Laurie J. Neverman "morninglori" (Denmark, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An absolutely beautiful book - the photographs are simply gorgeous. This is the book that got me started with heirloom gardening. The glorious diversity of heirlooms leaps off the pages. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, beets, kales, winter squashes, and potatoes are all presented in a rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes on double page spreads.

The author starts with an overview of the origins of different food crops, followed by an explanation of the importance of preserving in the face on increasing pressure for uniformity. She continues with a discussion of gene banks and seed saving organizations and basic seed saving techniques for the home gardener. The book ends with a directory of heirloom vegetable varieties and a resources list to help you find them, as well as references for further reading. Every time I open this book I am inspired. To me this is what home gardening is all about - unique and delicious food grown in a sustainable manner.

BTW, I agree with the reviewer who said it could use updating in the resource section, but a quick online search using the names in the resources gets you where you need to go, if the company/organization has a website (some still do not).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Guide for those compelled to grow and preserve heirloom varieties of vegetables., April 28, 2006

By	DMB "bona fide bibliomaniac" - See all my reviews

One of the first things that appealed to me about this book was that it's reach of heirloom varieties is not limited to that of the American bio-region, but also includes the European, former Soviet Union, Asia and Africa.

The format of the book affords the reader the option of reading straight through or making quick reference. Color photography and nice illustrations complement the text.

I especially like the 2nd part of the book which is a comprehensive directory that also includes a resource listing of seed suppliers. Since this book was published in 1998, it would definitely benefit with an update to its resource listings (since some lack website references).

While the directory listings a summary for each vegetable of the general growing conditions necessary, it would be a significant enhancement if the directory listed the specific requirements for each heirloom variety (e.g. pH, temperatures, etc.) It should be noted that the specific germination periods are given for each variety.

Overall, this book served me well in sending me down the path of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. It provides a solid foundation of historical information/data as well as presenting the argument for preserving the heritage varities.