All about seeds

[Jonna]

Can you tell me if there is a book that teaches  you how to recognize seeds, how to collect seeds, how to clean seeds, how to store seeds, pictures of seeds and seedpods, longevity of seeds, sowing seeds, etc.
If there is a book that is helpfull, please tell me the title and author.
If you  can’t find a book about seeds, please tell me what you want to learn about seeds.

[Maggi Young]

Jonna, on this site we have many photos of seeds : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4426.0

For good practical information on seed sowing and care of the seedlings, click here for a superb Seed Sowing Tutorial  by Ian Christie, nurseryman and former President of the SRGC.

This post has details of a book that may be helpful: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4426.msg223062#msg223062

This thread has more help: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1010.0

theseedsite.co.uk is a very useful webite

These should  give somewhere for you to start!

[Jonna]

Thank you Maggi for your reply.
I'm looking for a book that helps beginners and is not scientific.  I get a lot of questions on other websites about growing from seed, harvesting seed, recognizing seeds and seedpods, store seeds, longevity of seeds, etc. And all want pictures of plants, seeds, seedpods, seedlings, etc.  I want to investigate if there is a book that will help beginners.
I will investigate all links you sent me, but some of the links only will  tell about  rock garden plants. Okay, I know I'm on a rock garden forum with my question,  but  I try to get advice.
I'm thinking about writing a book for beginners with all the aspects,a lot of pictures,  but first have to know if there is already a book available that can help.

[Maggi Young]

There is this book:

Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs (Storey's Gardening Skills Illustrated) Paperback – January 2, 1998
by Carole B. Turner
http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Sowing-Saving-Step-Step/dp/1580170013


and this : http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_booklinks.html

[David Pilling]

When I got interested in growing stuff from seed I bought this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeds-Ultimate-Guide-Growing-Successfully/dp/1856263886

Seeds: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed [Paperback]
Jekka McVicar (Author)

I guess it is OK. I soon got dissatisfied with it, I think the problem is that one person can't be an expert on 100's of plants.

Look at resources on the web, you'll find they disagree, well they had different seeds/conditions. How many generations of plants that take seven years from seed to flower are you going to grow before writing your conclusions.

Damning the above book with faint praise, she does get some things right which well respected others do not.

[Jonna]

Thank you for your replies. I will evaluate all the links I got late autumn/early winter.  I also posted this question on other gardening websites, so I got a lot of links, which is good. Only that way I can find out if the book I would like to write already exists or not.

David, I won't discuss plants that need 7 years from seed to flower. I just want to write for real beginners and I would never advise them to start with those difficult plants.  Once I was a starter and didn't know anything. I couldn't find a good book that showed me all aspects. I found several books/websites/forums that helped me a lot, but none of them treated all the aspects I wanted to know. Especially the combination of information and pictures for real beginners, so no scientific approach, seems hard to find.
I know that there will be no beginner gardeners on this website, just beginner rockgardeners, who first were beginners in general gardening. But I wanted advice from people on this website too, because that will expand my view on this subject.

[David Pilling]

Sorry I didn't notice the 'beginners' references... I only felt the need for a book when I ceased to be a beginner. At any rate tell the beginners what not to try growing - people who sell seed are happy to sell seed that will take many years and great skill to bring to fruition without mentioning this.

[Jonna]

Sorry I didn't notice the 'beginners' references... I only felt the need for a book when I ceased to be a beginner. At any rate tell the beginners what not to try growing - people who sell seed are happy to sell seed that will take many years and great skill to bring to fruition without mentioning this.

I do sell my seeds too, but I removed my shopping cart. Partly because I have not always the time to send the seeds  soon when people paid for their order, but also because I want to tell beginners not to buy my 'special' seeds. Some of them really need a special treatment and if beginners order those seeds, I want to tell them that it's not their right choice to begin with those seeds.  I found out that I prefer to trade seeds above selling seeds.
Anyway, thank you for your suggestions. I really appreciate that.