Reference and resources

Seed Saving and sharing information about seeds and growing plants is not a new thing – it is deeply part of Human history.

There are many ways to get information about seed saving. This may include books, research papers, podcasts, web searches and just talking to other people about the processes and planning involved.

Visiting or joining Seed Saving groups are a great way to get direct information from people who do it. But here we have listed some commonly used ‘standard’ references that are usually fairly easy to buy or borrow.

Some of these references are older publications but may still have some value to you in the Seeds Saving journey. These are just suggestions and we hope you find them useful as a starting point.

The process of plant and seed identification, growing, processing and use can be helped by looking at such diverse resources as:

  • regional cooking books that list and describe ingredients
  • small scale commercial farming guides that help to work out germination, growing and harvesting times
  • garden histories that may mention certain traditional varieties or techniques
  • historical references that describe machinery and devices that can be used to clean seed and aid with harvesting

There are extensive resources available form Websites, podcasts and existing seed saving groups and growers.

Books about Seeds

The manual of seed saving – Andrea Hesinger – with Arche Noah & Pro Specie Rara – Timber Press – ISBN 9781604693829

The Seed Garden – Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel – Seed Savers Exchange – ISBN 9780988474918

Seed to Seed – Suzanne Ashworth – Chelsea Green Publishing – ISBN 9781882424580

The Complete guide to saving seeds – Robert Gough & Cheryl Moore-Clarke – Storey – ISBN 9781603425742

Breed your own vegetable varieties – Carol Deppe – Chelsea Green – ISBN 9781890132729

The SeedSavers Handbook – Michel & Jude Fanton – Seedsavers books – ISBN 978-0646102269

The SeedSavers Handbook – Michel Fanton – Eco logic books – ISBN 9781899233014

Seed Sowing and Saving – Step-by-Step Techniques – Carol B Turner – Storey – ISBN 9781580170017

Saving Seeds The Gardener’s Guide to Growing and Saving Vegetable and Flower Seeds – Marc Rogers – Storey – ISBN 9780882666341

Saving Vegetable Seeds – Fern Marshall Bradley – Storey – ISBN 9781612123639

Seed Saving Simplified – K Jordan – self published – ISBN 979-8307627198

The Organic Seed Grower – John Navazio – ISBN 978-1-933392-77-6

The Seed Farmer – Dan Brisebois – ISBN 978-0-88571-996-5

The Organic Grain Grower – Jack Lazor – ISBN 978-1-60358-365-7

Heirloom Vegetable gardening – William Woys Weaver – Voyageur Press – ISBN 978076359921

Some selected web references

Other groups with resources


YouTube Channels & Videos


Equipment


Biosecurity



Potatoes


Identification

General Botanical information

A Botanists Vocabulary – Susan K Pell & Bobbi Angell – Timber Press – ISBN 9781604695632

Wicked Plants – Amy Stewart – Algonquin Books – ISBN 9781565126831

Plants that Kill – Elizabeth A Daucey & Sonny Larsson – Kew – ISBN 9781842466575

Farming and growing techniques

Young Farmers connect (Australia) – https://www.youngfarmersconnect.com

How to grow Perrenial Vegetables – Martin Crawford – Green Books – ISBN 9781900322843

Organic Vegetable Gardening – Annette McFarlane – ABC Books – ISBN 9780733325250

Fabulous Food from every small garden – Mary Horsfall – CSIRO – ISBN 9780643095977

The Organic Gardeners Handbook – Michael Littlewood – ISBN 9781861269362

The Lean Farm – Ben Hartman – Timber press – activevista – ISBN 9781603585927

The Urban farmer – Curtis Stone – New Society – ISBN 9780865718012

Australian plant specific

Propagating Australian Plants – Alec M Blomberry & Betty Malone – Kangaroo Press – ISBN 9780864176134

Heirloom Vegetables – Simon Rickard – Penguin Lantern – ISBN 9781921383069

Garden pests, Disease & Good bugs – Denis Crawford – Harper Collins – ISBN 9780733331886

Wild Food Plants of Australia – Tim Low – Harper Collins – ISBN 9780207169304

Growing Australian Native Plants from seed – Murray Ralph – Bushland Horticultural – ISBN 9780646428666

PUNU Yankunyjatjara plant use – jukurrpa books – IAD Press – ISBN 1864650362

Ngunnawal Plant Use – ACT Gov – ISBN 9781921117152

Honey & Pollen Flora of South Eastern NSW – NSW DPI – ISBN 9781760583422

Fruit and Vegetable gardening in Australia – Michael pollock – DK – ISBN 9781740335706

The Bushfood Handbook – Vic Cherikoff  – ISBN 9780646154961

Australian Medicinal Plants – E V Lassak & T McCarthy – Mandarin – ISBN 1863300589

Field Guide to Useful Native Plants from temperate Australia – J M Caton & R J Hardwick – Harbour – ISBN 9781922134608

Historical

Beans a history – Ken Albala – Bloomsbury – ISBN 9781350022270

The Age of Seeds – How plants hacked time – Thames & Hudson – ISBN 9781760761783

The Triumph of Seeds – Thor Hanson – Basic Books – ISBN 9780465048724

A history of Kitchen Gardening – Susan Campbell – Unicorn Press – ISBN 9781910065914

Potato : a history of the propitious esculent – John Reader – Yale University press – ISBN 9780300171457

The Medieval Kitchen – Hannele Klemettila – Reaktion – 9781861899088

Hildegard’s Healing plants – Hildegard von Bingen from Physica – Beacon – ISBN 9780807021095

Fifty Plants that changed the course of history – Bill Laws – Allen and Unwin – ISBN 9781742372181

Regional plants and foods

Gran Cocina Latina the food of Latin America – Maricel e Presilla – WW Norton – ISBN 9780393050691

The Glorius Vegetables of Italy – Domenica Marchetti – Chronicle Books – ISBN 9781452108865

A field Guide to edible Native Plants of New Zealand – Andrew Crowe – Penquin – ISBN 9780143019220

Kew’s Global Kitchen Cookbook – Kew Books – ISBN 9781842464960

Kitchen Garden Experts & their Head Gardeners – Cinead McTernan – Frances Lincoln – ISBN 9780711234963

Vegetable Literacy – Debora Madison – Random House – ISBN 9781607741916

National Academies (USA) collection of important reports and other downloadable publications

Japanese Cooking Traditions, techniques, ingredients, recipes – Emi Kazuko and Yasuko Fuuoka – Anness Publishing – ISBN 9781843094777

Specific & general plant guides

The complete book of Garlic – Ted Jordan Meredith – Timber Press – ISBN 9780881928839

The Complete Chilli Pepper Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Growing, Preserving, and Cooking – Dave De Witt & Paul W. Bosland – Timber Press – ISBN 9780881929201

Mints a family of herbs and ornamentals – Barbara Perry Lawton  – Timber press – ISBN 978-0881927061

The lost art of Potato breeding – Rebsie Fairholm – Skylight Press – ISBN 9781908011190

Growing Great Garlic – Ron L Engeland – Filaree & Chelsea Green – ISBN 9780963085016

Garlic – Penny Woodward – Hyland House – ISBN 9781864471199

Chinese Tea – Liu Tong – Cambridge University press – ISBN 9780521186803

International Potato Center – Andean roots & tubers – https://cipotato.org

Grow it yourself Fruit and Nuts – Andrew Steen – Bateman Publishing – ISBN 9781869537890

Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden – Lee Reich – Timber Press – ISBN 9780881929447

Herbs

The Royal Horticultural Society  Encylcopedia of Herbs – Deni Bown – DK – ISBN9780241184028

Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World – ben-Erik van Wyk – Briza – ISBN 9781875093939

The Complete New Herbal  – editor Richard Mabey – Gaia – ISBN 9780140126822

Grow Herbs – Jekka McVicar – DK – ISBN 9781405355667

The Encylopedia of Herbs – Arthgur o Tucker & Thomas Bebaggio – Timber Press – ISBN 9780881929942

Herb & Spice the cooks reference – Jill Norman – DK – ISBN 9780751337419

The Complete Book of herbs & Spices – Lesly Bremness & Jill Norman – DK – ISBN 9780751304947