May 30th, 2010 by admin

For many years, the best way for a gardener to ensure a good crop in following years was to save the seeds from the strongest plants. It’s still the best way but for years, few people practiced this as it was easier just to buy new seeds from suppliers. (Speaking of suppliers, if you want to see some beautiful garden-related art, go browse the Seed Catalog collection at the Smithsonian. Click on explore if you want to waste an hour browsing!)

In addition to ensuring the plants are hardy for the region, the practice of seed saving also ensures a greater variety to the global seed stock. At a time when corporations like Monsanto expressly forbid seed saving by farmers using their “products,” seed saving has also become a political act.

Back in 1603 it was not political; Richard Gardiner, in Profitable Instructions for Kitchin Gardens, has this to say about “The best way to obtaine seede Beanes for Gardens”:

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seed saving