Book Review: The Manual of Seed Saving

The Manual of Seed Saving
Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits
by Andrea Heistinger

344 pages
Timber Press, 2013
List price: $39.95

Growing from seed has always been a standard practice of gardeners, especially those who grow edibles. But it seems to be on the upswing, with concerns about the food supply and GMOs also on the rise.

The Manual of Seed Saving is just that - a manual - with plenty of information on how to go about saving seeds of more than 100 plants. But it also urges us to save seed for more reasons than saving money by not having to buy new seed every year.

Heirloom seeds - those that are saved and passed down over many years (50+) - are important for many reasons. Delicious and hearty varieties might be lost if we don't make an effort to save them and over time, the seeds we save from our own gardens are ones that grow best right where we live, because of their adaptability.

Horticultural trivia buffs will be fed by the small doses of interesting tidbits sprinkled throughout the pages too. It's not a book heavy on images, but the format is well-organized and predictable, making it easy to find information in a snap, on most any edible you want to grow.

Andrea Heistinger works professionally as an agronomist, author, and educator. She studied agriculture at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. She lives and works in the Waldviertel region of Austria and in South Tyrol, Italy.

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Read Kylee Baumle’s blog, Our Little Acre.