Across Canada, 57% of households grow fruits, herbs, vegetables or flowers for personal use, according to Statistics Canada. A new book advocates that each of these home gardens has the potential to preserve vital biodiversity, if only we would let plants go to seed, harvest and preserve them. Saving Seeds, covers the essentials of seed saving, including seed selection criteria, harvest and storage tips, the role of seed-saving communities and seed companies.
For much of human history, farmers saved their own seed stocks to ensure a good harvest from year to year. In the past 50 years, governments became involved in seed saving, creating massive seed libraries, cataloguing thousands of varieties. There is a concern that plant biodiversity has been compromised in recent decades, as corporations have replaced heirloom varieties with genetic engineering.
The book’s author, Dan Jason, lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, where he founded the mail-order seed company Salt Spring Seeds.
Order the book online
Saving Seeds: A Home Gardener’s Guide to Preserving Plant Bioversity by Dan Jason is published by Harbour Publishing; 96 pages; $14.95 list price.
Order Saving Seeds book from ChaptersIndigo.ca
Order Saving Seeds book via Amazon (Kindle edition only)
Order via Bookshop (supports independent book sellers; only available in U.S. at this time)
Draw to win a copy of the book
Congratulations to Barbara P. of St. Catharines, Ontario, whose entry was randomly selected from 371 entries in our April 2020 draw. Here’s a history of our prizes and an explantation of how we make a random selection.
Love receiving your newsletter. Really enjoy reading and learning all new things gardening !!
I have tried several times to enter the draw for April on “Saving Seeds” but receive an acknowledgement only that I have been entered in the draw for the book on “Natural Gardening” which was last month’s draw & already allotted.
Rest assured that you are entered properly in the Savings Seeds draw. The error was mine in neglecting to update the confirmation message for the entry form, which I’ve now fixed. Thanks for reading and good luck.
I want to thank you for sending the newsletter each week. It is so great to stay connected during this difficult time. Blessings.
Your newsletter is so practical, informative and
Interesting. Many thanks. I look forward each week to receiving it.
I often save seeds to add to my annual collection for the following year. The article by Beckie Fox on Hellebores convinced me I should do more. Hopefully I win the book on saving seeds.
I really enjoy these weekly updates . Thanks for continuing them- always something of interest. I also appreciate the BC content.
Thanks again and wishes for good health to you all
Gail