The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving
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The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving
edited by Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel, written by Micaela Colley & Jared Zystro, 390 pages, 9x11, softcover. To keep seeds alive they must be planted, saved, and replanted. With clear instructions, close-up photographs and easy-to-read profiles of 75 crops, this book is an invaluable resource for that intermediary step, the saving of seed. Beginners can open to a crop and follow along, step-by-step. More advanced seed savers will find that the hints tucked into the crop profiles prevent a lot of futile experimentation. For example, the best method for threshing radish seed might involve a car. The appendices are packed with info, such as seed-saving recommendations at a glance, determining screen size, and identifying seed-borne diseases. The book also includes an overview of plant botany, pollination methods, variety maintenance, harvesting, cleaning and storage—along with Master Class inserts derived from the expertise of the collaborators, Seed Savers Exchange and the Organic Seed Alliance. I would still like to see a seed saving book that includes flowers in the same depth, but until then, for saving the majority of garden vegetables, this book is a gem, destined to become a classic. -Nikos Kavanya
9750 The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving
