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Some recommended Books
Here are some of our favourite books. As with our seeds,
we only list books that we think are really useful.
 "Grow Your Own Vegetables" by Joy Larkcom. YOU NEED THIS BOOK
This is the book to have if you have any questions about gardening. Even if you never get any other book, this one will sort you out for all your veg-growing questions.
It has just one or two clear paragraphs on each vegetable, explaining how, when and why you grow it in a particular way.
No-nonsense, clear instructions for all the vegetables you could want to grow, with simple explanations of why you do things a particular way rather than being a 'recipe' book.
Brilliant! We keep it to hand for quick reference all the time, even after all these years. Completely organic of course.
Order BkGY - £9.90
 Back Garden Seed Saving by Sue Stickland
Saving you own seed at home is really simple - but just as with growing the veg, you need to know what to do for each variety. Seedsaving is easy, fun and the best way to keep our vegetable heritage alive - all you need is a little information to make sure that you do it right!
You own vegetable seed will be fresher than anything you can buy (even from us) , and better adapted to your conditions, and you'll get huge amounts you can swap with your friends - as long as you follow a few very simple steps to keep things pure.
This book tells you the basics - it's all very easy, and you only need things you'll find in the kitchen like sieves, colanders etc.
We provide basic seedsaving information with all our seeds, but if you really want to develop your seedsaving skills, a good book on the subject is essential.
Here Sue Stickland provides all the information that you could need in an simple, accessible format: why to save your own seed, basic seedsaving techniques, followed by crop by crop instructions for each individual vegetable.
Paperback, 200 pages ....all you need to know about easy home seed saving.
We are offering this at a special subsidised price as part of
our campaign to encourage everyone to save their own seed. (It should be £13 )
Back in print now: Order BkBG - £9.90
Seed Saving Baggies
We hope you will reuse the bags we send our seeds out in to store your own saved seeds. But if you don't have enough, this may help. These are small 2 inch x 1 inch ziplock baggies, with write-on panels for labelling them with a normal bic pen.
Normally only available in boxes of 1000, we have made them up into packets of 20.
Order Bag1 - 20 bags £0.90
 The
Fat of The Land by John Seymour
We are now distributing this wonderful book by John Seymour, who together
with his wife Sally, was
one of the pioneers of the grow-your-own movement back in the 1960s.
(You may know their famous 'Complete Book of Self Sufficiency')
This book is more autobiographical; it tells the story of how they
moved from riverboat to country cottage and started their own smallholding,
learning from scratch as they went.
It is well-written, funny, and inspiring, and was one of the books
that set us off down this path too.
A great present for anyone who is into gardening or smallholding.
Rarely available, we get it directly from John's family who are now
having it reprinted.
Paperback, 188 pages ....we have a big box in stock, just add it
to your seed order.
Order BkFL - £9.30
OTHER
BOOKS
For the other books, we have a deal with Amazon - if you want to buy
a copy of one of these, click on the link provided and you will go to
that page of Amazon's website. We know they're a big international corporation
but if you buy it from them via these links, they send us a small commission,
which goes to our Library Fund.
This helps us afford all the expensive reference books we need to breed
better vegetable varieties. To assuage our consciences, we have also
given the ISBN numbers of all the books so you can instead buy from
your local independent bookstore, which would probably be a much Better
Thing to support. They'll also get it for you quicker!
General social & political:
 "The
Party's Over: Oil, War and the fate of Industrial Societies"
by Richard Heinberg - ISBN 1902636457.
This is probably the most important book published in recent years.
Our entire modern civilisation hinges on us having access to large amounts
of energy from oil. Not just cars - food, clothing, shelter - it all
takes energy to make. Our oil use is equivalent to 90 full-time servants
for every man woman and child, which is why we have such complex and
comfortable lives. And we are addicted to this level of consumption,
because that's how the 'system' works - can you imagine trying to change
it radically and it all still working?
This book is a very readable, rational, scientific, well thought-out
analysis of how we've got to this state. It is pretty convincing that
the problem is not that we will 'run out' of oil, but that by about
2006 - 2010, total demand will start to exceed total production. The
potential consequences are immense, as some of us (who? and in which
countries?) will have to do without our '90 servants'. World leaders
are no doubt aware of the problem - look at current events in Iraq,
Iran etc. But it would be good if everyone else knew why we are doing
these things too.
Buy
it from Amazon
"The Earth Care Manual" by Patrick Whitefield- ISBN
185623021X.
Well, this is really the manual to living in a sane and truly sustainable
manner. Covers an enormous range of subjects, ranging from raised bed
gardening to renewable energy to green building methods, to mention
just a few. It is equally interesting whether you are a total newcomer
to the subjects or already know something about them, and covers both
the 'big issues' and practical things that we can all do. It is published
by Permanent Publications ( see www.permaculture.co.uk)
but is also available from bookshops.
Vegetable Growing:
"Oriental Vegetables", Joy Larkcom (Frances Lincoln,
2007) ISBN: 0711226121
An excellent reference, as clear and easy to use as all of Joy Larkcom's books. This one deals with a huge range of orientals, most of which are very easy to grow in the UK, with cultivation details, cooking suggestions, recipes etc.
Buy it from Amazon
"Patio Produce ", Paul Peacock (Spring Hill 2009) ISBN: 1905862288
Ideal for anyone who wants to grow vegetables in pots & containers. Very practical, tells you all you need to know to get a good harvest of vegetables even if you don't have a 'proper' garden to grow them in. Includes crop by crop details of pot sizes needed, best planting methods etc.
Buy it from Amazon
 "Seed
to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth.(ISBN 1882424581).
This is the new edition, and a brilliant vegetable seed-saving book.
An invaluable resource, we use it constantly. Used as the standard reference
by the Seed Savers Exchange. It will tell you simply and clearly what
you need to do to save seed of any veg you care to mention using materials
you have at home. Most of our seed-saving instructions that you get
with your seeds are based on her advice. Buy
it from Amazon
"The Seed Savers' Handbook" by Jeremy Cherfas, Michel &
Jude Fanton.
A good alternative reference for the home seed saver. (Grover Books,
1996). If you can't find this locally, it is available mail order
from éco-logic books, 19 Maple Grove, Bath, BA2 3AF, England,
who do a whole range of interesting green titles.
"Botany for Gardeners" by Brian Capon. (ISBN 0881926558)
Are you an experienced gardener but wish you understood just a bit more
about how your plants work? E.g. what is going on when for a seed germinates?
What does a leaf look like in cross-section close-up? And what are all
those pithy cells for in the middle? This concise little paperback book
is a handy reference to answer these questions.
It does assume a bit of scientific background knowledge but is ideal
for someone who studied biology at school but wasn't paying much attention,
or has forgotten a lot of what they learnt! Lots of nice photos and
diagrams, text probably to about A-level standard or a bit higher in
places.
Buy it from Amazon
 "Breed
your own Vegetable Varieties" by Carol Deppe ( Chelsea
Green Pub Co; ISBN: 1890132721)
This is a brilliant introduction to veg breeding for the interested
amateur. Until 50 years ago, all gardeners were plant breeders - your
great-grandparents probably knew much more about this than we do.. .it's
not difficult, you just need to know how to do it, and the tradition
has been lost.
This book will give you the basics, and then if you're interested,
the nitty-gritty too. Well written and inspiring, this is the second
edition. It was this book that led us to the popping chickpeas. Buy
it from Amazon
 The
New Organic Grower, by Elliot Coleman (Chelsea Green, ISBN 0-930031-75-X)
The only good modern book we have found on organic market gardening,
and it's really great. Applies to allotment-scale too. Inspiring, this
book has changed the way we grow. Very sound on cover-crops, soil improvement
etc, from a strong scientific base. This man knows what he's talking
about. If you only get two books, get this and the Joy Larkcom. Buy
it from Amazon
 "Plants
for a Future" by Ken Fern. (Permanent Publications; ISBN: 1856230112)
PFAF is a charity researching and promoting the use of alternative food
crops in the UK, often native perennials. A really inspiring book that
everyone should have. We have used their reference database and information
leaflets for years, and its great to see the book finally in print.
This book will have you rushing out to plant an edible woodland in your
back garden. Available everywhere or from the publishers Permanent Publications
(Tel: 01730 823311. Email: enquiries@permaculture.co.uk) Buy
it from Amazon
Heavy-Duty Reference Books:
Lost Crops Of Africa - Vol 1: Grains (ISBN 0309049903)
Excellent book describing in detail all the various grains grown in
Africa. Huge volume, produced by BOSTID (USA National Academy of Sciences)
by a panel of hundreds of international experts. Explanation of uses,
opportunities, limitations and traditions.
The only downside is that it doesn't actually tell you anything at all
about how to grow them. But still a great starting point, especially
with some of the grains we have only heard a bit about.
Now available to read online for free! See here
(thanks to Clive Richards who found this)
"Amaranth: Modern Prospects for an Ancient Crop"
(National Academy Press, Washington DC 1984) is the best further reference
if you want to know more about the history and potential of amaranths
as a grain and vegetable crop. This was our starting point for our Amaranth
experiments.
It is out of print, but you may be able to track it down through a library.
Worth the effort if you really get into amaranth.
Clive found this one online too: see here
The CABI series of horticultural references
If you are a serious amateur or professional plant grower or breeder,
the following reference texts are excellent. These from CABI Publishing
are comprehensive and up-to-date, summarising state-of-the-art knowledge
about these crops. This includes growing, breeding, processing - everything.
They are expensive (about £30 each), and do assume a fair amount
of scientific knowledge (degree level). All available on-line from BOL
& Amazon, although its better to support your nearest small bookshop,
who will get them for you MUCH quicker anyway.
- Onions and other Vegetable Alliums (ISBN 085198 753 2) Superb! Buy
it from Amazon
- Carrots and Related Vegetable Umbelliferae (ISBN 085199 129 7) Great!
Buy it from Amazon
- Cucurbits (ISBN 085100 133 5 or 0851991335??)
Buy it from Amazon
- Lettuce Endive and Chicory (ISBN 085199 285 4) Buy
it from Amazon
- Peppers - this one is awful. Truly tedious and not the least bit
helpful. Don't bother with it.
'Principles of Plant Breeding' by R W Allard (The 1960 edition,
NOT the recent edition) ISBN 0 471 02315 9
For those wanting to 'move on from Deppe', this is THE book I would
strongly recommend. He does not give nitty-gritty details for specific
crops, but instead explains why you might want to breed in different
ways - e.g. when mass selection is better than backcrossing or vice
versa. It is great in that it explains without much maths.
Note that there is a newer edition just released at some absurdly high
price (£100?), but with fewer pages, and judging by the publishers
blurb, lots of info about modern genetic engineering methods. This original
version from 1960 is much more relevant to the sort of breeding we are
trying to do, and is cheaply available second hand . I got my copy through
amazon for about 15 dollars after a week of putting up a 'book wanted'
request.
I have seen others (Simmonds did a very similar volume that is totally
& utterly incomprehensible), but this one is the most accessible,
and does explain very clearly what you are trying to do in terms of
backcrossing, pedigree breeding etc.
Out of print but easily obtainable on-line secondhand; try abebooks,
amazon etc.
Farming references:
'Sanitation without Water', Winblad & Kilama, ISBN 0333391403
is available mail order from the Centre for Alternative Technology in
Wales if you can't find it elsewhere. How to build almost every simple
sewage-disposal system you can think of. Written originally for aid
workers. It in fact covers sanitation with water too, with instructions
for french drains and soak-aways. Very clear and easy to understand,
with good explanations of the principles involved, ie what you're trying
to achieve from a hygiene/health point of view.
Solar cooker design - try SCI's website at http://solarcooking.org.
 Five
Acres & Independence by M G Kains (ISBN 0486209741) Dover Books
A how-to-be-a-farmer book. American. Written in 1940 for the starting-out
small farmer, much of his advice is very sound today, especially for
the organic farmer. The first bit of the book covers business advice
and planning - very profit-oriented - but there is a wealth of minor
detail in the rest for forgotten techniques and technologies - clamping,
root cellars, ice-houses(!), draining, orchards, home-made septic tanks,
springs, poultry etc etc. Buy
it from Amazon
The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency By John & Sally Seymour
The english book that started it all. Large-format reference paperback
that gives 1 page per topic. A bit superficial really - it doesn't go
into very much detail, so you'll definitely need other references too.
But the advice is sound and is enough to point you on your way with
most things you want to try. All in all, this is one to borrow from
the library rather than buy.
We are now distributing their other autobiographical book 'The Fat
of the Land' which tells the story of how he got into living off
the land in the first place. Funny and informative, and much more realistic
than the Complete Book, in that it makes it really clear that if you
want to be self sufficient, you still need a bit of paid work too.
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