Re: Starting from seed
- Subject: Re: Starting from seed
- From: D* K*
- Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2001 10:26:02 -0700
It just so happens that the following review will appear in the upcoming The
Gardener's Companion, published by Lili Singer in Los Angeles, CA. This
particular information is applicable to anyone, however.
The New Seed-Starters Handbook
by Nancy Bubel
Rodale Press, 1988, paper, $15.95 Paperback - 385 pages (April 1988) Rodale
Press; ISBN: 0878577521
With all the books available, I have found only a couple to be consistently
useful when seeking horticultural advice. Kept close at hand and frequently
tattered, their pages smudged with soil and plant juices trailed from my fingers,
these references have been essential to my success in the garden. One is Sunset’s
Western Garden Book. Another is Nancy Bubel’s classic on seed starting, one of my
special interests.
Many gardeners think seed starting is a waste of time –- too much hassle, too
difficult and with too little reward. After all, a trip to any nursery will
reveal so many already-growing plants that can be plopped in the ground for
instant gratification. I find this limiting. Plants that are too new, too old,
outside the mainstream or ones that simply do not transplant well are often
unavailable at nurseries. Choices expand one hundred fold or more to the gardener
willing to begin with a seed. And, with guidance, success is likely and very
gratifying.
The original Seed-Starters Handbook was published in 1978, and my hardbound copy
was used throughout my first few years of gardening. The New Seed-Starters
Handbook, from one decade later, was greatly enhanced and the material was
updated. While the source lists, by now, are quite out of date, the information
on growing media and technique is timeless. This is one of the most “information
rich” manuals available on growing things from seed.
I call this book indispensable. You can find it easily enough on-line, but look
for it at a steep discount in your local Borders or Barnes and Noble. I bought my
current paperback copy for $4.00. -David King
DAVID KING IS A WEST LOS ANGELES FREELANCE WRITER AND AVID GARDENER.
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