Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> I'll try that.  I don't grow most of that stuff, but I would like  
> to be
> able to save seed for radishes, lettuce and onions


For those who wish to learn how to save seeds I recommend Seed to  
Seed, by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy. Whealy is the guy who  
created and runs Seed Savers Exchange. SSE is very much worth  
supporting.

Here's my review in Amazon.com:

Save 'em or lose 'em

153 of 159 people found the following review helpful:

Sixty million American gardeners buy their seeds from mail order seed  
companies. In the period 1984-1987, 54 of the 230 seed companies in  
the U.S. and Canada went out of business, resulting in 943 non-hybrid  
varieties becoming unavailable. One answer to the extinction of food  
crop varieties is Seed Savers Exchange, the publisher of Seed to  
Seed. Begun in 1975, SSE maintains more than 18,000 rare vegetable  
varieties at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. Another answer is for  
individual gardeners to save their own seed from non-hybrid  
varieties. Varieties that grow and taste exceptionally well in  
specific areas can be planted year after year from home-grown seed. A  
further advantage is protection from seed price increases. Ashworth  
provides definitive information on seed gathering, processing and  
storage techniques. Twenty family entries include taxonomy,  
pollination characteristics and techniques, general production and  
processing techniques. Each of the 160 species entries includes  
botanical classification; pollination, crossing, and isolation; seed  
production, harvest and processing; seed viability. Ample black-and- 
white photographs complement the text. Hybrid seeds are in the  
control of large companies. You can be in control of heirloom  
varieties that do best in your garden. Happy eating.