The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs

Enjoy your favorite varieties of garden plants year after year with this comprehensive guide to gathering, preparing, and planting seeds. Authors Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough provide simple instructions that clearly explain the whole process, from basic plant biology to proper seed storage and successful propagation. Gardeners of any experience level will find all the information they need to preserve genetic diversity, cut costs, and extend the life of their favorite plants to the next generation and beyond.

Table of Contents:
The Seed-Saving Revival
Those Amazing Seeds * Why Bother Saving Seeds? * How to Use This Book
Part 1: Saving Seeds: The Basics & Beyond
Chapter 1: Seed Biology 101
Flowers Come First * Pollination * Fruit and Seed Development
Chapter 2: Growing Plants for Seeds
Super Spacing for Seed Production * Preventing Unwanted Pollination * Hand Pollination * Selecting Your Seed-Stock Plants * Special Handling for Biennials
Chapter 3: Harvesting and Cleaning Seeds
Know What You're Harvesting * Timing the Harvest Just Right * Extracting and Cleaning Seeds
Chapter 4: Seed Storage Know-How
How Long Do Seeds Last? * Getting the Moisture Right * Getting the Temperature Right * Good Places to Store Seeds * Summing Up Storage Recommendations
Chapter 5: All About Germination
Nature's Exquisite Logic * Types of Seed Dormancy * Overcoming Seed Dormancy * Promoting Optimum Germination * The Waiting Game
Chapter 6: Sowing Seeds and Raising Transplants
Heat-Treating Seeds * Direct Seeding * Raising Transplants * Hardening Off * Setting Out Transplants * Creating a Nursery Bed
Chapter 7: Breeding Your Own Varieties
Plant-Breeding Basics * Breeding Hybrids
Part 2: The Handbook: From Vegetables to Nuts
Chapter 8: Saving Vegetable Seeds
Chapter 9: Saving Herb Seeds
Chapter 10: Saving Flower Seeds
Chapter 11: Advanced Seed Saving: Nuts, Fruits & Woody Ornamentals