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. Learn how to collect, save, and cultivate seeds from more than 300 types of plants.
Robert Gough holds a doctorate in botany and is Professor Emeritus of Horticulture at the College of Agriculture, Montana State University. He is the author of 17 gardening books, 500 extension service publications, and articles for Fine Gardening, Country Journal, National Gardening, Zone 4, Montana Magazine, and Harrowsmith. He served as Extension Horticulturalist in Montana, hosted the popular Dr. Bob's Northern Gardening Tips radio program for 10 years, and was a panel member on PBS's Montana Ag Live for 15 years. He is a Fellow of both the American Society for Horticultural Science and the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, as well as a member of the advisory board of Zone 4.
Cheryl Moore-Gough holds an M.S. in Plant Sciences from Montana State University, where she is now an adjunct assistant professor in horticulture. Cheryl has taught and coordinated the Montana Master Gardener program and has published numerous works alone and with her husband, Dr. Robert Gough, including five gardening books. She has written for Montana Magazine, Fine Gardening, American Nurseryman, and Zone 4 Magazine, and she hosts Northern Gardening Tips, which is broadcast by radio stations throughout Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota on the Northern News Network. She has been gardening and saving seeds in Montana for 30 years. 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
