Starting & Saving Seeds

What an adorable book - good range of seeds to save, most excellent photos throughout that also make this a good book for gardeners to flip through, as well as a great encyclopedia on seed saving.

This book is a lifesaver for everyone who loves gardening or makes first steps in this area. The book in itself looks great with photos and step by step tutorials. i think is one of the most useful books about growning your own food that I have seen in a while. I highly recommend it!

This was a really good guide to seed saving, and how it can benefit you as a gardener, or beginner interested in starting a garden. It explains the process of how seeds start, how they can fail, and what to do to ensure their survival. I liked the cheap home tips for setting up affordable lights for germination, and the recipe for good home made seed starting dirt. There is a helpful guide to some of the most common fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers in the end of the book with specific growing guides and what each seed needs. Someone well versed in seed selection and planting will probably find this book a bit boring and unnecessary, but it offers good tips for those starting out. Someone like my mom who always saves whole flower heads in zip lock bags only to find them moldy later will find this helpful. I would have liked to see more on the storage of seeds myself and how to extract some of the stranger types of seed, but for an introduction on the subject, it does a good job.

A delightful book extolling the virtues of collecting your own seeds. It explains clearly the different and most effective ways to start, grow and save seeds. There are plenty of tips for collecting from a variety of fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs. A detailed and useful book for anyone keen to sow and grow seeds, with plenty of photos to complement it. Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC.

As someone starting out in gardening from seeds (I’ve bought the poly-greenhouse, the seeds, the compost, etc), this book is everything I could wish for. As a non-fiction book I expected I’d dip into it at points where I needed to, but I found myself reading it from start to finish and then going back to the parts I need at the point I’m at. The book is easy to read, without being condescending, and the photographs add to this and gives quick reminders. The part where it lists the plants/flowers is helpful giving useful information for beginners such as myself. I would recommend this to anyone who is starting out growing from seed and those who need a little more guidance.

A very good book ful of interesting and detailed instructions and beautiful pictures.
It’s very useful for people who love gardening.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc

Starting & Saving Seeds Grow the Perfect Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Flowers for Your Garden by Julie Thompson-Adolf is a totally garden geek's book of awesome! Julie's directions are very detailed. She covers a multitude of different flowers and vegetables. There are techniques for how to choose seeds that are good for your growing area as well as the proper way to collect seeds from the plants you would love to propagate. Then the author takes you through the planting stage and how to be successful in your germination and growth of the seeds you have collected. I have been looking for years for this type of book so that I can multiply the black eyed suzies, geraniums and other assorted flowers. The book also delves deeply into how to save vegetable seeds. I have always wanted to save the seeds of vegetables that were awesome over the summer. The author encourages and instills the joy of growing and saving seeds that I am absolutely going to go out and start today. I highly recommend this book as it is chock-a-block full of ideas and information. If you have a green thumb or wish to improve one you already have this is the book for you! Well done Ms. Thompson-Adolf.

I would like to thank the publisher Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press, Julie Thompson-Adolf and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an amateur gardener I really appreciated Starting & Saving Seeds. Author and gardening expert Julie Thompson-Adolf takes the confusion out of the entire process for newbies and avid gardeners alike. I especially appreciated the hints to encourage stubborn seeds. The DIY tutorials are very helpful and the accompanying photography is stunning.

Every year I plant a vegetable and a flower garden and every year I buy seeds which adds up to money spent. This book provides valuable information on saving your seeds so you can save money year after year on your seeds. Learn tips on the appropriate time to harvest and how to store them to be used for the following year.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cool Springs Press for providing me a copy of this book to read and review.

I would like to thank Quarto Publishing Group-Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Starting and Saving Seeds’ by Julie Thompson-Adolf in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
This is a very helpful and informative reference book for beginners and intermediates alike. It explains how to grow perfect vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in the garden, going through all the different types, how to sow, re-pot, harden-off and pick once it’s been cropped, the growing conditions required and what to do with the produce. There are attractive glossy photographs to help identify each plant. I have a fair understanding of gardening but after reading this book I really want to buy a copy for myself as I can see it being extremely helpful and will increase my knowledge considerably.

I like the idea of combining seed starting with seed saving in a book. It's much more useful to a beginning gardener. The seed starting section could use a little more detail and better photos when discussing seed anatomy. While the section on on trouble-shooting seed starting is well written, it would be nice to include some photos of these situations, again for the beginner. I've found (in teaching gardening) that these are things that are frequent concerns with beginners, but are often hard for them to visualize until it happens to them (and then it's too late!)

Though "Saving Seeds" is part of the title, I was expecting it to comprise a bit larger section of the book. Someone who purchases this book in order to learn about saving seeds is going to be disappointed. More detail (and perhaps more specifics about certain plants) would be helpful.

The last chapters of the book contain specifics for individual types of plants: vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. These sections have some very helpful suggestions. While some photos are included in these chapters, it would be more helpful to include smaller photos, but for each plant type discussed. If this book is geared toward beginners, then assume they won't know what these plants look like. The drawings (especially of the vegetables) are often not very helpful.

Overall, this is a nice reference. It's a great idea to combine starting and saving, but the latter should be done in more detail. I think that generic photos in the book could be replaced with photos in some of the suggested areas above.

Seed saving has interested me for sometime now, but its not easy to find the information on all the different plants. Until now!
whether beginning out or an experienced gardener and seed saver you will find information of use in this book.
The photos are lovely and the information is thorough and well written in an easy to read format.
This book is a seed saving bible , with an A/Z meet and greet of fruits and veg, advise on not just saving seeds but planting, and sowing also.
A wonderful book, that would make a lovely gift.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is definitely a must have!
The details and instructions are great for beginners that want to start a garden.

Starting & Saving Seeds by Julie Thompson-Adolf

October 2018

I received this digital ARC from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is well organized and beautifully illustrated. This book is for those who are passionate about gardening. After I successfully planted and harvested my small garden many years ago, I was hooked! I love this book as it speaks from the heart of a gardener! Everything is easily explained including pictures. It’s hard to express the sense of pride and accomplishment one feels after successfully getting your seed to seedling and finally in the ground. When it produces a harvest you can’t help but want to boast and share! Learning how to save seeds is an art itself! It always gives me great pleasure to share seeds! It’s spreading joy and kindness!

A good beginning book on how to save and start seeds. Lots of good advice and techniques. Nicely photographed.

I don't think I would have been the only first time home buyer to head to their local garden center to buy flower and vegetable plants. I rather doubt I would have also been the only one to quickly realize I needed a lot more information on growing than what came on each little plant tag. I am also sure that I would have had plenty of company as I searched for information on plant care at bookstores, the library, and online. After somehow managing to grow a few things that first year(and spending a lot of money)I realized I could grow so many varieties I couldn't buy if I learned how to start my plants from seed. I now have a dedicated area in the basement along with pots, seed starter soil, seed packs, grow lights, a heat mat, and all kinds of tools to be successful(hopefully).
Quite a bit has changed since 'Year One', and I wish I had a copy of Starting and Saving Seeds then. However, gardeners know you learn new things every season and every year and I learned quite a bit from this book. The author covers so many useful topics in detail and I would recommend this book to a newbie or seasoned gardener. From deciding what to grow to buying seeds to starting them indoors or out, to planting depth requirements and germination tips and tricks, this book covers it all, along with some gorgeous pictures. Harvesting and saving your own seeds is something I haven't tried yet, but there is enough information available to make me want to try next year. A very good resource for anyone who loves to garden or wants to try to grow their own flowers and/or vegetables.
I received an e ARC from Quarto Publishing Group-Cool Springs Press through NetGalley. I plan to purchase a hard copy when the book is published(in the U.S.) in October and a few of my gardening friends will be getting a copy for the holidays. This is one of those books that I will add to my collection of garden books and I know it will be a great resource for many years.

Wonderful front cover and and easy to understand table of contents.

Perfect length for the non committal or uneasy beginner seed saver. I like the quick biology lesson in the beginning of the book and the explanation of GMO and hybrid plants.

This book is useful for my needs of sowing seeds directly into my home garden. I enjoyed her knowledge of how long germination takes and what temperature soil should be for foraged seeds to succeed.

Thanks to #NetGalley, I had an advanced PDF to read and review.

*All opinions are my own and I was not require to post a positive review. *

#StartingSavingSeeds #NetGalley

A useful high-level guide to not only saving seeds, but starting them as well. I liked the individual entries for specific vegetables and flowers, but would've liked more specifics on the location of seeds for some of them. Also, info on fruit seeds would be great as well. Nice resource!

Starting & Saving Seeds is a new gardening tutorial with herbal by Julie Thompson-Adolf. Due out 2nd Oct, 2018 from Quarto - Cool Springs Press, it's 160 pages and will be available in ebook and hardcover formats.

I was struck straightaway by the author's enthusiastic and upbeat writing style. She has a very positive, encouraging voice. Her passion for gardening comes through very clearly and reading about her reactions to the winter seed catalogs' arrival made me smile. We're all like little kids with huge dreams when the seed catalogs hit.

This book is accessible for beginners as well as having value for more experienced gardeners who want to expand their gardening repertoire to include heirloom varieties or types of plants which are ignored or neglected by the big box stores. Additionally, trading seeds with gardening friends and family builds up connections which add another layer of connection to our network. I have varieties in my garden which are literally descendants of plants my family grew afnd saved seeds from for hundreds of years. Even though my grandmother sadly passed on, decades ago, I still think of her every time I see the perennials I grew from seeds she gave me.

The book is arranged in two basic sections. The first section, ~25% of the content, covers introductory concepts, what seeds are, how they're created, what their differences and similarities are and how to start them and nurture them into strong seedlings. The success or failure of a garden can well be decided on the strength and vitality of the seeds and seedlings at the very beginning of the season.

The second section of the book is a general herbal covering the basics. I was interested to see a lot of vegetables and flowers were included which I would almost never consider growing from seed (asparagus and lavender for example). She does mention the virtue of patience waiting for long-term projects such as asparagus and certainly when considered against the prospect of a 30 year productivity span, waiting 3 years for asparagus from seed seems to be reasonable.

The book does provide a very basic introduction to identifying, saving, and processing seeds from different plants successfully. I remember some years ago, I was involved with a seed trading round robin and there were always some well meaning gardening friends who struggled with identifying exactly -where- the seeds were and -how- to clean them so they could be saved and used. This book would've been handy for avoiding the commonest mistakes.

The photography is lovely and supports and expands the text well. I would have liked to have seen more specific examples of mature seed pods for different plants to show where they can be separated and stored. Things such as Buddleia, Lobelia, and Alcea can be tricky for some gardeners to collect seeds from.

All in all a useful and appealing book.

Four stars.

I love making my own seeds so I was really interested in this book. I must say I expected more insight about saving seeds but this would have made this book much bigger.

This book was a good starters guide for cultivating seeds, even for complete and total amateurs. The author provides an exhaustive list of flowers and vegetables you can plant, and their ideal parameters. An excellent way to start!

A wonderful book for a beginner at saving seeds, or anyone else who is looking to expand their seed saving knowledge. Lots of pictures and information without dumbing it down. I expected to skip and read parts that reflected where I was at in my seed saving knowledge, but I found myself reading it through, cover to cover. It's a highly readable, informative book that I'm glad I was granted an ARC to review. Thanks to the publisher and author!

Really great reference book for seed starters. Enjoyed the pictures and author’s tone. This book has gotten me excited to more officially save my seeds and plan to start them in the early spring. This book can be used for all types of gardeners with the reference material being a quick way to look up when to plant seeds for all types of plants.

A great addition to any gardeners collection, whether amateur or professional, young or old. I have a found a few things I can do with my two year old in addition to her gardening club

This is one of the best books about starting and saving seeds I have seen for awhile. Why? because it explains thinks in simple terms, it has photos and it make it look like fun. The part on collecting seeds is very practical and informative, especially the information on extraction, processing and protection from cross-pollination.
There are also information on making seed bombs, seed tapes and winter sowing with homemade mini glasshouses.
There also is an informative section relating to different flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit, giving full details including photos of the plant and seed information. Most of the plants are easy to grow, so there isn't likely to be disappointment with the germination results.
A good book o start with

Awesome reference from starting seeds to saving seeds book, I for one will be buying this book for my future gardening journey.

When I put in a request for this book I didn’t expect to get approval being a romance book blog but when I see the book in my Netgalley shelf I jumped for joy and I was not disappointed.

I started raised beds for my vegetables a few years back and had figured out how to save several seeds myself and have been pleased with my progress, but as I bring in new vegetables there are some I have no clue how to save the seeds so, I need some kind of reference or help to figure out how I save sees for them plus, this year I expanded my gardening and bought over 300.00 dollars worth of flowers this summer so I know I have to do something to save the seeds because I refuse to spend that kind of money each year. So, when I saw this book on Netgalley you know how happy I was to see it on my approved shelf.

Now, for the book review, I really loved how the author starts with simple sowing technique and brings you to save the seeds. No, she does not go into each plant on how to save the seed of that plant but she gives you both methods and she lists the way to save the seeds in each plant reference in the back of the book.

I’ve been direct sowing my seeds because my indoor seeds were a flop the first year, so I am hoping the simple tips will help me try indoor sowing again and succeeded next spring.

This is a great book for any gardener to have on their shelf.

Most home gardeners will tell you they have a hit and miss approach to what will grow each year. What grew well last year will not exactly repeat this year. Learning can be very expensive and time consuming. I found this book very informative and easy to understand. It will make it much easier to produce consistent results by saving my own seeds.

This book is exactly what it sounds like. A gardening book on how to plant, grow, harvest, and save seeds year round, for people who want more out of their plants. What I didn't expect, however, was for it to tell me scientific terms, how to mix your soil properly, what tools are best, and what set up is the cheapest for what you need.

This book is honestly really great for someone who wants to learn more about gardening, like me. The pictures are beautiful and crystal clear, and the instructions are really easy to follow. I also really like that the author added real stories about their own life into it, I felt like I was talking to someone who really knows what they're doing. I also loved that there was a part of the book dedicated to not only starting your seeds, but also what kind of plants you can grow, how to grow them, and what to expect from them.

Overall I don't have much to say about this book, other than it definitely doesn't read like a textbook, it's super short and straight to the point, just how I like these kind of books, and I really enjoyed reading it. The only problem I had with it, is that the ebook copy I had kept glitching and half of the page would disappear as I was really getting into it. For that reason, I would say I definitely need to get a paper copy.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Saving and Starting Seeds
By Julie Thompson-Adolf
A gardener’s delight, no matter the gardener’s level; new to the fun of playing in the dirt or even the well-seasoned gardener. Saving and Starting seeds is filled full of information: how to plant various types of plants; when to plant the seeds, and where; how much or little: sun and water needed to make sure they grow to their fullest ability; there is even information on how to treat: for insects; prevent diseases; and proper drainage. Full of useful information for the end of the growing season, how best to preserve and care for the seeds gathered for the next seasons growing.
Wonderfully writing and put together, a delightful read and a quick reference book for gardener on the run or those in a hurry to find necessary information. With words that are easy to understand for those new to gardening, with explanations to terms that am not be understand for the new gardener. I was saddened when I got to the end of this book, it was so informative; even for me, a mid-grade gardener. It has been a few years since, I have had the place to have any plants; so, in a way I am new to growing. I think in some ways we all are new to growing; with the new hybrid types of plants and seed that are on the market these days and the care that they require.
Mrs. Thompson-Adolf shared some wonderful alternative methods of recycling and reusing some of the household by-products to incorporate in the starting of the seeds; all in the efforts of saving not only money; but, also to help save our environment. I applaud this author for sharing new ways of using the out-of-the-ordinary household items as vessels that can be used to start seeds. I am all about saving the planet in which we live on; we all need to do our part to keep our home alive and healthy. I must give her two-thumbs up and a rating of 5 out of 5-stars.

A more elaborate review has been posted on my blog: https://patch405.com/2018/10/07/lifelong-learner/

Actually, I didn’t read the title very closely and thought the book was going to exclusively address the act of saving seeds. I was pleasantly surprised to read the sections on planting seeds.

Throughout the book, the author does a fabulous job of providing basic explanations – such as seed terminology (i.e. open-pollinated, heirloom, hybrids). There’s also valuable advice, such where to find certain kinds of seeds and what supplies to purchase as you get started planting seeds (indoors). The author also provides how-to’s for some projects – including how to make your own seed starting mix, how to make your own seed tape, and creating fun things such as seed bombs. Despite already having basic gardening knowledge, I did gather some handy tips from her writings.

The section about how to save seeds was completely new to me. After one reading of this book, I understand the basic concept. However, saving seeds is not as simple as it might seem, and the author addresses this by covering topics such as inbreeding depression, vernalization, wet and dry processing.

The last half of the book is devoted to the different varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers, and the tips and traits for starting, growing and harvesting the seeds. The information is concise and covers a variety of details. All in all, the book is well written and provides helpful details and directions.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Starting and Saving Seeds is a wonderful and unique guide to gardening with great advice. The first part of the book contains all the new gardener needs to know about sowing at the beginning of the season and then saving the seeds once the plants have gone to seed. It’s not just for beginners though. This section is very in depth and has some fun projects, such as “seed bombs” which would make a great gift. The rest of the book has detailed profiles of tons on veggies, herbs and flowers including specific directions for saving seeds from each. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have always loved gardening. Plants of all types like flowers, fruits and veggies. I love watching something grow from a tiny little seed. Seeds can get quite expensive when purchased at a garden center. This book will guide you through collecting the seeds from the plants you have grown or even ones bought from the store, how to prepare them, store them and replant them next season so you will have an endless supply of seeds in the future. Most are supper easy, simply take them out of the fruit, veggie, or flower, allow them to dry then store them in an airtight container. Some seeds need to placed into a refrigerator for germination purposes. The book will give you step by step directions for all things seeds. The book is very informative and easy to follow.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

I became interested in seed saving years ago and began on my own with little success on any fruit or vegetable seeds. I have been able to with an azalea to my surprise and one other plant I don’t know the name of. Now with this book and with guide and suggestions for some of my failures I am ready to begin again with fruit. I also think that this book will be helpful for many people because once you get the right plant growing or fruit tree, it is nice to have it come back the next year or year around without going out and having to repurchase seeds or some people buy starter plants. The book has simple DIY and even nice photos, everything for you to get started in your garden.

Das Thema des Buches liegt voll im Trend: was kann es besseres geben, als mehr Kontrolle über sein Essen zu haben und alles "bio" selbst zu ziehen? Von Samen zur Pflanze bis hin zur Samengewinnung - rundum gelungen. Mit vielen appetitlichen Fotos und Hintergrundinformationen sowie vielen ungewöhnlichen Tipps.

Julie Thompson-Adolf's "Starting & Saving Seeds" is an excellent guide to storing seeds for planting in future seasons. There are lots of great tips and tricks to help keep your seeds over winter, how and when to get them started, and how to get those pesky ones that just don't want to cooperate to finally germinate for you. Full of beautiful photography that alone makes this book a treasure to enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seed saving has always been a huge mystery to me. As an avid gardener, I have been interested in the idea of propagation, but I could never figure out how to do it well. Until I found this book. It is going to take some practice, but I plan on utilizing some of these methods in hope of ramping up next years crop. Love it. Definitely recommend!

Most of the gardening books I have thumbed through always seem to start with the assumption that you already have seeds or seedlings ready to go. This is probably the most complete book I have come across as far as saving & starting seeds. The first three-quarters or so of the book are filled with beautiful, full-color photographs, tutorials & how-tos. The last quarter has individual information for harvesting and starting a variety of plants.

While I received a free digital version of this book, I will be adding the hardcover to my library not only for the information but it is just in general a gorgeous book.

Starting and Saving Seeds is a bright colorful book with great step by step pictures that walks you through the entire process of seed starting and even how to save seeds for next year. The book is divided into two parts: Part I How to Start, Grow, and Save Seeds - which takes you through seed terminology, ways to start seeds indoors and out, how to care for them, and how to preserve seeds. Part II Meet the Plants is divided into Fruit & Vegetables and Herbs & Flowers - this is a great section with great pictures that tells you when and how to plant. As a gardener, I have bought seed and plants from stores for years to begin my garden each year, so this was an exciting book to read and learn from and now share with my children and grandchildren. It covers vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs seeds and is basically your new seed saving reference book with wonderful pictures. It’s a keeper!

The best way to increase your garden is to save seed from your exisiting plants. It's easy when you know how but not obvious for the novice garden. This book is mainly aimed at beginners but it gave this old hand a lot of great ideas too.

Are you intimidated by growing your own plants from seeds? (I know I am.) This book makes it seem not only easy but practical to start your own seedlings for a variety of plants.

I've always been curious about saving seeds and this book has tons of practical advice on each step of cataloguing and properly storing seeds. It also has very informative with tips for starting seeds and caring for fragile sprouts. Overall, I thought this was a fabulous book for beginners on seed saving and planting.