The New Seed Starter's Handbook (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Security and adventure might be considered opposites in some situations, but the gardener who raises plants from seed can experience both..." (more)
Key Phrases: ounce sows, unheated spare room, more complete germination, New Zealand, Seed Savers Exchange, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this revised and expanded version of The Seed-Starter's Handbook, gardening writer Bubel discusses starting seeds indoors, moving plants outdoors and saving seeds, then presents a lengthy "encyclopedia of plants to grow from seed" that describes the characteristics of dozens of flowers, vegetables and herbs. Bubel gives advice on the time-consuming process of growing plants from seeds in a writing style that is chatty and accessible. The reader will enjoy her enthusiasm and benefit from her thoroughness. But Bubel can be overly cute, as when she relates how she once "tried planting melon seeds in cast-off shoes." She also tends to repeat herself, and her presentation of technical information on the germination of seeds is difficult to follow. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The reader will enjoy [Nancy's] enthusiasm and benefit from her thoroughness."--Publishers Week
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Product Details

• Paperback: 385 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (February 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878577521
• ISBN-13: 978-0878577521
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,799 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on seeds I've seen!, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

If you want to learn how to start your own plants from seed, this is the book to own! The author covers all the variables of seed culture. I had tried to grow plants from seed before and failed. With this book I have had success after success. There is also a good section on saving your own seeds. If you're a do-it-yourselfer who is less than thrilled with the variety of plant choices available at the local nursery, this is the book for you!

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Seed-Starter's Handbook, July 17, 2000

By	James Robert Pattillo (Duvall, Wa. USA) - See all my reviews

What a wonderful book! A wealth of information covering not only seed-starting, but all you need to know to be successful: some basic botany (how seeds germinate, the parts of a plant, and how they grow)proper seed-starting mediums, lighting, fertilizing,transplanting, moving your seedlings outdoors, pests...you name it! I do a great deal of seed-starting each year and wondered how much new information I could glean from this book..it didn't disappoint one bit. Highly recommended!

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great All-Around Gardening Book, May 6, 2005

By	Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The New Seed-Starter's Handbook (Hardcover)

This book is an introduction and reference for people who want to grow plants from seeds. The book is organized into 5 main sections: starting seeds indoors, preparing outdoor beds to receive transplants or seeds, detailed instructions for growing individual vegetables from seed, saving seeds, and record keeping and exchanging seeds. Bubel integrates the results of scientific studies and her own growing experience in her advice to novice gardeners. In striving for completeness, she even includes a chapter with folk wisdom about planting, noting which moon phases are thought to be best for planting and which are not. The book is amply illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings. End material includes a glossary, a bibliography, a list of suggested readings, lists of seed and equipment suppliers, and an index.

Although the book is written for people with very limited gardening experience, it is so full of information that even experienced gardeners are bound to learn something through reading it. Bubel's approach to gardening very much follows organic practices. The section on individual vegetables is a very valuable reference, with its details on when to plant, when to fertilize and how much to use of what, and when and where to transplant in the garden. Interspersed with the text are charts summarizing information such as germination rates for different vegetable seeds at different soil temperatures, or viability of vegetable seeds over varying storage times. The sections on preparing the soil for planting or transplanting and on saving seeds at the end of the season round out the book quite well, making this an excellent general gardening book, and not just a book about starting seeds.