Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition

This is the most authoritative and in-depth book on seed sewing, growing, and saving that I have ever read. It is not a picture book or a basic introductory book - rather this is the book you go to when you have a specific plant, and you're not sure how to start the seeds, or how long the seeds will keep in storage, or how exactly to capture pollen and hand pollinate plants when your natural pollinators are absent.It has an overview of seed propagation and breeding information, including things like how pollination works, and what the different kinds of pollinators are, different kinds of seed processing techniques, how to store the seeds, and then it goes into an in-depth, family by family, plant by plant, everything you ever needed to know guide. This was very useful when I wanted to grow corn, and everyone said you can't grow corn if you only have a few plants. What I found was, you can grow corn, you just have to make sure you help the pollination along (and she shows you how in illustrations), and you probably won't get good results from any seeds you save because corn plants need a wide variety of genes to be healthy. But growing seeds from a packet - only a little hand holding needed.I have also found that this book has useful information on growing plants, and which varieties work well in which region. When I was looking up corn, it talked about which varieties to grow in New England, what problems are prevalent in New England, and how to deal with the various pests in the area. When I wanted to save my sunflower seeds for a tasty snack - she showed me the best time to pick the flowers, how to keep them away from the squirrels (and blue jays, and other critters), and how to dry them so the seeds were easier to separate. When I was curious as to why some of my black beans actually looked like the nearby empress beans, this book had the answer, and also what to expect if I actually wanted to try to plant them.The only thing I would wish for more of is illustrations. She gives descriptions on how to pick and process each type of seed, but sometimes I wasn't sure if I had the right plant, or if it was THIS part or THAT part. In some cases (such as the corn pollination), there were illustrations to help, but sometimes I wished for more.If you are looking for a single reference book on seed sewing, seed saving, plant breeding, or seed varieties that are best for your area - this is the book for you. A very well done, very authoritative and detailed book.

Whether you're an ordinary gardener or a doomsday prepper looking for a book on how to grow life-saving food, this is the book you want.It goes over every single common plant out there, and explains everything from how to properly plant seeds and care for your plants, to how to pollinate and propagate more seeds for future crops, to which plants grow best in which regions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Good book very informative she liked it a lot.

Love this book to add to my collection. Lots of knowledge all in one place.

New book. Great price. Timely delivery!

Love this seed saving book.Breaks done your varieties into what you have to worry about cross pollinating during the growing season that could affect the genetic stock, as well as goes over seed saving do's and don'ts.Well worth the investment and nice quality for the price!

Everyone needs this book. It's a good value and is very informative about saving seeds. Would buy it again and again

A very informative book for all kinds of seeds/plants. I love that the bottom corners have the genus printed there to make finding what you're looking for easier. (I wrote the common names on a few pages I'll use most.) It includes clear instructions on gathering seeds for each plant, with drawings accompanying them. This is a great guide for anyone interested in saving seeds from their heirloom plants.