Reddit mentions: The best vegetable gardening books

These are some of my favorites:

• Crockett's Victory Garden - There are also versions for flowers and lawns as well as the main garden one. It's organized by month and has lots of special chapters on different skills or tools or general information.
  
  
• Square Foot Gardening - It's written as a persuasive piece, but it's got good information on all different kinds of vegetables and explains the square foot method. Even if you don't use the method itself, the ideas in general can be useful.
  
  
• Backyard Herb Garden - This is an older book, but it's got a lot of helpful specific information on different herbs and ideas for growing them.
  
  
• Kitchen Garden for Beginners - It's not a perfect book, but I think it did a great job giving an overview of different gardening methods, plants and issues you might face.
  
  
• Vertical Gardening - This one is more specific, but all the trellis designs were fun and very helpful.
  
  
• Storey Country Wisdom Bulletins - These are nice little pamphlets ($4 on Amazon) on different plants (ie. tomatoes, peppers, strawberries) or topics (ie. fixing your soil or building a fence) that are pretty useful for gardening. Also they had some ideas that were new to me.
  
  
• Garden Primer - This one is also a good overview. And seems to be popular it covers general garden topics and has information about specific vegetables.
  
  
• The New Self Sufficient Gardener - It's got a lot of good general information, awesome illustrations, background explanation and information on specific vegetables.
  
  In terms of location specific information, as someone who recently moved half way across the country, your best off looking up the Extension website for where your living to find information on suggested varieties, new pests you might encounter, soil types and things like that.

If you want inspiration, have a wander round Kew Gardens. At one time they had student vegetable gardens there too - don't know about now, but it's a wonderful garden. Most supermarkets will have seeds sold for UK conditions, as of course will garden centres, and seed catalogs are a good source of inspiration. I have a nice one from http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/Home/Orders-Requests/Catalogue-Request.html#.VvLaK6DLfGU The classic book on UK vegetable gardening is by Hessayon, with titles some variation on "The Vegetable Expert":

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-New-Vegetable-Herb-Expert/dp/0903505754?ie=UTF8&keywords=hessayon%20vegetable%20expert&qid=1458756231&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

I see second hand copies of the previous version going cheap at http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vegetable-Expert-books/dp/0903505207?ie=UTF8&keywords=hessayon%20vegetable%20expert&qid=1458756231&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Such large numbers of this were sold that you have a good chance of repeating what I did a week or too ago - check out the local charity shops and pick up a second hand copy for £2.

Last year I was very pleased with Annual Rocket. A few years before that I had a lot of Kale coming along which got covered in caterpillars, but I am trying that again this year since I saw a story in this newsgroup of it recovering from such infestations. I have grown tomatoes outdoors but that can be chancy even with a variety bred for the purpose. Radish is famously easy, unless you get enough heat to make it go to seed, and even then you could eat the tops as greens.

Welcome to the UK - for further enthusiasm about its climate etc. see http://www.poeticexpressions.co.uk/POEMS/This%20royal%20throne%20of%20kings.htm (..This other Eden, demi-paradise,..)

Saving seeds is a serious endeavor. There is so much detail to it so I will just cover a few basics and then recommend an amazing book. You must use open pollinated seeds to save seeds that will grow true to the parent plant. I use heirloom and open pollinated seeds to grow and then save the seeds. If you are growing hybrid plants, the seeds you save may revert back to one of the parent plants bred to create your plant that you are currently growing. Many plants can cross pollinate. So the pollen taken from one plant in a neighbors yard by bees can mix with yours and then you have a Mystery plant with the saved seeds. Spacing and pollination control are key. Also letting all the plants set vegetables and grow to maximum maturity. An example is tomatoes. It is best to let a tomato sit on the vine until almost overripe and select that one to use for seed saving. Beans will have better germination rate if you let the pods dry on the vine. Different species of plants require different techniques in saving the seeds. Their is a wet method and a dry method. Sorry this is all so much and probably a bit confusing. There are thousands of more details and. I do not mean to discourage you from trying to save seeds. Here is a link that is helpful. And probably better at explaining than me rambling on. Lol!


http://howtosaveseeds.com/isolate.php


The best book I have found and am learning from daily and seasonally is titled Seed to Seed


http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581


This book will go through many details and instructions that are easy to understand. The best advice I have is to learn and give it a try. Each season you will learn more and more. Best of luck.

Sounds like you have some fantastic goals to get you going. A lot of others here have offered great advice too.

If you are in the U.S. I'll happily share some heirloom seeds that I have extras of to assist with planning your garden for Spring. If that interests you, please PM me and let me know what gardening zone you are in. I have lots of seeds to share that are suited for many climate zones.

Some general suggestions I have that you might consider include-

• Plan the construction of a smoke house for meat preservation.
  
  
• Start studying seed saving. If you choose to use heirloom seeds for your gardens, winter is a great time to read up on how to harvest seeds for future gardening endeavors. Here are a few resources-
  
  

• This is a great beginners guide that can be printed out for free as a handbook
  
  http://howtosaveseeds.com
  
  
• One of my favorite books on the subject
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581
  
  

• Start experimenting with canning, fermenting, jam/ jelly, winemaking (if you drink), and other various methods of food preserving.
  
  
• Make a list of your hobbies. What things do you love to do? What crafts to you make? Is there a way that you could create part time work from these things on your list?
  
  
• Begin spending time at local farmers markets (if you don't already). If farmers markets are seasonal where you are, start mapping them out. IMO local farmers markets are such an amazing hub of community, information, advice and so much more. When you involve yourself with other locals in your area doing similar things, amazing connections can be made.
  
  
• Get to know your local County Agricultural Extension Office. Every state in the U.S. has at least one. They offer so many amazing free resources and many classes. Almost all have Master Gardeners programs, offer soil testing, have demonstration gardens, sell seeds bred for your locality, offer plant pest ID, printed information and more.
  

Apples are this way because the fruit takes the traits of both parents and most orchards use crabapples as the second parent. Other fruits and veggies act the same (squash is one that comes to mind). For these types of plants, in order to get a "pure" seed that isn't cross contaminated, you need to hand pollinate and then tie up the flower to avoid cross contamination. Or you have to separate varieties by as much as 400 feet.

Beans, on the other hand can cross pollinate but it doesn't happen often because pollination happens before the flower opens (since bean flowers are consider perfect, self-pollinators).

There are several books on seed saving and web resources that can tell you what seeds are the easiest to save and harvest and what seeds require more manual intervention. The most popular book on seed saving is Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition.

A really good book on seed saving is Seed to Seed. Highly recommended.

The quick answer is keep them cool and dry. Glass is better than plastic (as in mason jars) and you can buy those little dehumidifying packets to toss in there as well. When they are dry, you can freeze most seeds safely where they will last for decades, but you must avoid a repeated freeze thaw cycle. You lose a little every cycle.

Seeds vary greatly in their longevity. Some like onions will lose a great deal of their viability in a single year under less than ideal conditions. Others like the brassicas (colllards, kales, broccoli) can go 5 years with basic care.

Actually, you should put the seeds in water for few days to ferment them. This removes a coating that inhibits germination, supposedly. Then continue as above.

Pole beans you should just be able to save. Make sure you're not planting hybrids of either plant, or your saved seed will give you unpredictable results.

This book is often recommended. I read it and it was helpful, and will be a really good reference for when I can actually start doing it. There are other factors to consider, such as cross pollination and such, and they're all covered here for each and every plant you could possibly want to grow.

Also... I read Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties and was fascinated. She touches on seed saving, and of course gets into cross pollination (on purpose this time!) and genetics and such. It was really exciting to read, in a total geek sort of way.

Hey, I just saw your post. Welcome. Pulelehua covered things pretty well. If you're looking for books, i have a couple Hawaii specific ones.

This first one is a book only on native Hawaiian plants. It's very comprehensive, but also hard to find. I bought this year's ago, so I'm not sure where to find it anymore.

Growing Hawaii's Native Plants: A Simple Step-by-Step Approach for Every Species

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1566477166/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XpFmybZRH1JNC


This second book has info for vegetable gardening specifically in Hawaii. I haven't looked at it in a long while because my grandma has it (I gave it to her to borrow, but I think she thought it was a gift. I'd ask for it back, but it keeps her occupied, so I'd feel bad) so I don't remember exactly what was in it, but it's very good if you are just starting to garden because it covers growing conditions, pests, fertilizing, and seasons. There's an accompanying fruit book that's not as available. I might try find the fruit book soon.


Growing Vegetables in Hawai'i: A How-to Guide for the Gardener
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1573060801/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.sFmybTHRRZNP

I did save a few of the easy things like corn, squash, beans, and watermelon. Saving seed is definitely something I want to do more of this year. Seed to Seed is a great resource that I use. I've experimented with heirloom and hybrids varieties. Hybrids seem to be easier to grow, but you don't get a quality seed to save.

Have been growing a garden since probably June 1999 with my Dad. It slowly expanded into around to around a 60 plant garden.

I won't retype what everyone else has already said but will add that getting some fish emulsion for tomatoes really helps it, don't over water and put some chicken wire around your plot(Buried ~2 feet deep).

We grow: Tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, basil, oregano, and peppers(Avoid late season and arid climate ones). Plant a sage bush nearby to get a steady flow of bees.

If you are are beginner try growing some cherry tomato plants, they are pretty hard to screw up and are very good.

Read this

Oh awesome! I picked up this one. I am finding it really straight forward and they cover different types of fruit, like heirloom, and hybrids. The writing style is easy for me, a novice gardener, to understand too!

It all depends on what you're trying to achieve.

You're concern is on par. If you only keep seeds that are from late in the season it's possible you might end up with pepper plants that put off late fruit. I generally try to save seeds from the best looking and tasting fruit all season.

One big question: Are you growing more than one variety of pepper or tomato? If so, and you did not take precautions to make sure they did not cross-pollinate, you will likely end up with a variety other than what you planted. Doesn't mean you can't save the seed, but don't expect those plants to be your main crop producers next year.

Check out the book Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. It is the best resource on seed saving I've ever read.
http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581

Here are two books I consider essential references, both of which I would recommend to anyone:

Seed to Seed

Root cellaring

You need to preserve your seeds, and you need to preserve your harvests. Both are superb references for their respective topics.

Ashworth's book has some pretty specific stats on seed longevity (e.g. "spinach seeds will retain 50% germination for 5 years when stored under ideal conditions.") Unfortunately the one flaw in the book is that is really is only for vegetables, so many of the basic grains like rice are not included. But it's still a standard reference for home seed saving.

Most serious seed savers freeze it, tbh. Or at least freeze representative samples of their favorite varieties, enough to recreate the population should your harvest fail. Dry it appropriately, stick it in a ziploc in the bottom of a chest freezer, and most seed will effectively last forever, until the electricity dies.

Here's a neat, and cheap, book on the topic. Good luck!

Yeah, the trouble with that data, widely disseminated on the internet, is that it originated from a handbook for commercial growers, who don't have time and money to waste on planting 20 acres of tomatoes for Heinz that aren't going to germinate reliably.

So yes, if your livelihood is on the line, you should buy fresh seed stocks regularly. But for every Florida tomato mogul out there who's buying new seeds every 4 years, there are probably hundreds of home gardeners, and especially seed savers, who are still planting seeds from 5 to 10 years ago, or even older. There are people here in the subreddit who have found seeds in their grandpa's effects from the 1960s that they planted, and which grew.

So like everything else on the Internet....it depends. Seeds kept cool and dry can last a long, long time. I still have tomato seeds from 2012 that I used in 2016, and they came up fine.

Knott's 4th edition, 1997.
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1999/4-2-1999/veggielife.html

https://www.amazon.com/Knotts-Handbook-Vegetable-Growers-Maynard/dp/0471131512

Dude....Any basic gardener can tell you the shelf life of a seed.

If you have no experience gardening you don't need to store seeds.

Seeds are alive, if you really want to maintain seeds you need to read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581

This is the most important resource book on seed saving I've come across, I'd say it's invaluable as a prepper and gardener.

Since you have no idea how seed saving works, most seeds have a life of 1-5 years. The life of a seed is a lot like an atomic "half-life". After the typical life span of a seed about half of the seeds won't germinate.

You could easily test this yourself if you've ever done any gardening. Just find a seed packet from 3-5 years ago, even if it contains 50+ seeds, and you'll be lucky if you get even a few sprouts.

"Seed vaults" don't make any sense, they're advocated by people who have no practical experience growing their own food. As an example of this, even if you do want to deploy your seed stash, you're going to need specialized fertilizers and equipment...which you'd know if you had experience gardening.

The statement might start a flamewar in more intense tomato forums, but unless the tomato is a cherry or potato-leaved variety (Edit: or hybrid, which is a whole other can of worms!), the flower self pollinates before opening. See here or Seed to Seed an awesome book that howtosaveseeds.com references frequently.

There's an excellent book called Seed to Seed that goes into a lot of detail, put out by Seed Savers. This is my first year saving seeds from my garden, I found a lot of valuable information in it.

I bought this book recently because I wanted to learn this exact thing. I recommend it it’s really good

Breed your own vegetable varieties

&

Seed to seed

Are the two most important books for what you're looking for.

Have fun, and let me know if you have any questions. If folks want I can start a post about the topic sometime

For general gardening books, I recommend The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. If you are looking specifically for information on saving seeds and related information, I recommend Seed to Seed.

I've seen this recommended in other material as a great resource for seed saving info.

https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496172117&sr=8-1&keywords=seed+to+seed

Seed to Seed is an excellent reference.

There is a wonderful book called “Seed to Seed” that is absolutely excellent.

If you want a book Seed to Seed is a good one to go with. There are even sections for specific plants.

There are lots of good books on the subject, here's one:https://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-No-Till-Gardening-Basics-Cultivating-ebook/dp/B01A625BPU/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492495205&sr=1-4&keywords=no+till+gardening#customerReviews

Tropical Root and Tuber Crops is a good introduction to the anatomical differences between yams and sweet potatoes. There is unfortunately a lack of yam-centric literature and film however.

Book: Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition

Hmm, this is not a dumb question at all. I actually got a book

http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581

and used it as my primary reference.

do you have anything specific in mind?

If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...

(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)


Medical:

Where there is no doctor

Where there is no dentist

Emergency War Surgery

The survival medicine handbook

Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine

Special Operations Medical Handbook

Food Production

Mini Farming

encyclopedia of country living

square foot gardening

Seed Saving

Storey’s Raising Rabbits

Meat Rabbits

Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step

Storey’s Chicken Book

Storey Dairy Goat

Storey Meat Goat

Storey Ducks

Storey’s Bees

Beekeepers Bible

bio-integrated farm

soil and water engineering

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Food Preservation and Cooking

Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing

Steve Rinella’s Small Game

Ball Home Preservation

Charcuterie

Root Cellaring

Art of Natural Cheesemaking

Mastering Artesian Cheese Making

American Farmstead Cheesemaking

Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse

Wild Fermentation

Art of Fermentation

Nose to Tail

Artisan Sourdough

Designing Great Beers

The Joy of Home Distilling

Foraging

Southeast Foraging

Boletes

Mushrooms of Carolinas

Mushrooms of Southeastern United States

Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast


Tech

farm and workshop Welding

ultimate guide: plumbing

ultimate guide: wiring

ultimate guide: home repair

off grid solar

Woodworking

Timberframe Construction

Basic Lathework

How to Run A Lathe

Backyard Foundry

Sand Casting

Practical Casting

The Complete Metalsmith

Gears and Cutting Gears

Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment

Machinery’s Handbook

How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic

Electronics For Inventors

Basic Science


Chemistry

Organic Chem

Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving

Ham Radio

AARL Antenna Book

General Class Manual

Tech Class Manual


MISC

Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft

Contact!

Nuclear War Survival Skills

The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm

Crockett's Victory Garden

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Potatoes-Richard-Bird/dp/0754831558

Check your library for the seed saving bible:

http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420352693&sr=8-1&keywords=from+seed+to+seed

cucurbits tend to cross and usually whatever squash you grow doesn't look like the one you got the seeds from, unless the seed saver took measures to restrict pollination. Not sure how wide a variety of squashes a pumpkin will breed with.

I would recommend this awesome book

This is the book I consult the most: The Vegetable & Herb Expert: The world's best-selling book on vegetables & herbs https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0903505460/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QXDnDb0PJK0MA

It tells you what to plant when, what can go wrong and what to do about it. Although it is UK based so if you're in the US or elsewhere I don't know what's best for you I'm afraid.