Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Seed to Seed is a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. This book contains detailed information about each vegetable, including its botanical classification, flower structure and means of pollination, required population size, isolation distance, techniques for caging or hand-pollination, and also the proper methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning, and storing the seeds. Seed to Seed is widely acknowledged as the best guide available for home gardeners to learn effective ways to produce and store seeds on a small scale. The author has grown seed crops of every vegetable featured in the book, and has thoroughly researched and tested all of the techniques she recommends for the home garden. This newly updated and greatly expanded Second Edition includes additional information about how to start each vegetable from seed, which has turned the book into a complete growing guide. Local knowledge about seed starting techniques for each vegetable has been shared by expert gardeners from seven regions of the United States-Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Midwest, Southwest, Central West Coast, and Northwest.

About the Author

Suzanne Ashworth is an educational administrator living in Sacramento, California, whose spare time and large backyard are completely devoted to gardening. Suzanne has donated the text of Seed to Seed to help support the work of the Seed Savers Exchange, a genetic preservation organization with 8,000 members who are working together to maintain and distribute heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits, grains, flowers, and herbs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Seed Savers Exchange; 2 edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882424581
• ISBN-13: 978-1882424580
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,965 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

265 of 275 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Save 'em or lose 'em., January 12, 2000

By	GENE GERUE "Author, Find Your Ideal Country Home" (Zanoni, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Seed to Seed (Paperback)

Sixty million American gardeners buy their seeds from mail order seed companies. In the period 1984-1987, 54 of the 230 seed companies in the U.S. and Canada went out of business, resulting in 943 non-hybrid varieties becoming unavailable. One answer to the extinction of food crop varieties is Seed Savers Exchange, the publisher of Seed to Seed. Begun in 1975, SSE maintains more than 18,000 rare vegetable varieties at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. Another answer is for individual gardeners to save their own seed from non-hybrid varieties. Varieties that grow and taste exceptionally well in specific areas can be planted year after year from home-grown seed. A further advantage is protection from seed price increases. Ashworth provides definitive information on seed gathering, processing and storage techniques. Twenty family entries include taxonomy, pollination characteristics and techniques, general production and processing techniques. Each of the 160 species entries includes botanical classification; pollination, crossing, and isolation; seed production, harvest and processing; seed viability. Ample black-and-white photographs complement the text. Hybrid seeds are in the control of large companies. You can be in control of heirloom varieties that do best in your garden. Happy eating.

100 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worthwhile, March 17, 2006

By	Shelly Sutherland - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very practical and easy to understand. It's more encyclopedic in style rather than conversational, so if you aren't sure that you'll be saving seeds from your garden this year, you'll probably find it kind of boring. If you are slightly interested but unconvinced, I would recommend Carol Deppe's "How to Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" instead. Her enthusiasm for the subject carries over into her writing style, and she includes lots of entertaining anecdotes and information that will be useful even if you don't decide to save seeds.

But if you know you want to start saving seeds, or enjoy saving seeds and want to get better, this book will be indespensable.

The book is mostly about vegetables, with a few grains and herbs also described. For each type of garden plant, several topics are covered:
--A general description (where it originated, how it is used in different cultures, etc.)
--Botanical classification
--Pollination (such as wind vs. insects), crossing and isolation
--Seed production and harvesting
--Seed statistics (% germination, how many seeds in an ounce, how many varieties offered in major catalouge)
--How to grow the plant from seed
--Regional growing recommendations for 5 very generalized regions (Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Upper Midwest, Southwest, Central West Coast, Maritime Northwest) These are very brief, but useful.

I wish I would have gotten the book sooner, because I don't have too much gardening experience and I would like to have a big garden (well, as big as my yard will allow...) The regional recommendations often include when you should plant a vegetable indoors and when to transplant or direct seed outdoors. It would have been nice to do the last few week's seed starting with a little less guesswork.

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Work on Saving Seeds, February 26, 2006

By	Robert A. Williams "libertarian" (Oberlin, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the complete and definitive seeds saving guide for 160 non-hybrid vegetable crops, with detailed information about each vegetable. It is technical but clearly written so that the reader can understand the intricacies of maintaining varietal purity and proper seed harvesting, drying, cleaning and storing of seeds. Botanical classification, flower structure, pollination method, isolation distances, caging, and hand pollination techniques are included. If you're looking for information on saving ground cherry seeds, you'll find it here. Sources for supplies and seed saving organizations are listed in the back.

This is the definitive source on seed saving and is invaluable to growers interested in conserving unique vegetable varieties. This book should sit on your shelf next to a copy of Carol Deppe's "Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" because saving seed is the basic method of plant breeding. When you save the seed of your biggest tomatoes rather than your smaller ones, you are practicing plant breeding by selecting what genetic material to perpetuate. The seeds from your big tomato will produce plants that also will produce big tomatoes.