Some useful books

Here are some of our favourite books. As with our seeds, we only list books that we think are really useful.

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.

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.

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 )

This is the book to have if you have any questions about gardening. If you get no other book, this one will do you just fine.

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. Completely organic of course.

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!

"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.

"Oriental Vegetables", Joy Larkcom (John Murray Publishers?, 1991? new edition 1994?) ISBN: 1568360177
describes a whole range of oriental vegetables, with information on cultivation and use. Very helpful as she is the only person we know who can explain in a clear fashion why certain brassicas bolt at different times of the year. Out of print, but often available secondhand 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 0713472529)
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.

"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

"Heirloom Vegetable Gardening" by Will Woys Weaver. (ISBN 0 850 6089 8)
Good to dip into. We both think this is a great book (and not just because Will has given us several really good varieties to add to our collection). History, vegetables and cookery all combined. American-biased but interesting nonetheless. (Amazon think it is out of print but this is not true . . .)

"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

"Vegetables", Roger Phillips & Martin Rix (Macmillan Reference Books 1995, ISBN 0330315943 )
has lots of wonderful photos of old and new varieties of all the common vegetables, plus pictures and background information for many rarer species. Really a pretty 'coffee-table' book, but very nice nonetheless. Useful for checking what varieties ought to look like. Buy it from Amazon

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.

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.

'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.

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.

Part of The Real Seed Catalogue at www.realseeds.co.uk
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The Real Seed Catalogue

The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden

Some recommended Books

OTHER BOOKS

Farming references:

The Real Seed Catalogue The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden

Some recommended Books

OTHER BOOKS

Farming references:

The Real Seed Catalogue

The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden