THE GARDEN SEED SAVING GUIDE
Easy Heirloom Seeds for the Home Gardener
At a time where commercial forces have increased control over the food supply by patenting seeds with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), seed saving has become an important skill to encourage and share.
Longtime organic gardener Jill Henderson explains how preserving open-pollinated and heirloom garden seeds from one season to the next will not only save gardeners money but will also increase their self-sufficiency and help them maintain a naturally diverse gene pool of food plants. Armed with her simple tips and instructions, anyone with a green thumb will find seed saving easy and rewarding.
Jill provides an overview of how pollination works and explains the differences between open-pollinated and hybrid plants. She then categorizes and discusses the two basic plant groups: those that are easy to preserve (such as legumes, lettuces, peppers, eggplants, tomatillo, tomatoes, and annual radishes) and those that require more time and attention (such as cucumbers, melons, muskmelons, spinach, squashes, and pumpkins). You'll find that expert guidance is provided on how to properly harvest, clean, dry, and store seeds to obtain the best germination rates.