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Landrace Gardening: The Homesteader's Permaculture Guide to Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination
Bringing dynamic back into vegetable gardening, seed saving, and breeding of plants and animals. A joyful and accessible approach to growing tasty, productive, and resiliently diverse food.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2021
51 people are currently reading
1140 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Lofthouse
2 books20 followersJoseph Lofthouse struggled to grow warm weather crops under tough growing conditions, in a cold mountain valley, in the desert. His book, Landrace gardening describes the methods and ideas that enabled him to overcome the problems. They are generally applicable to any growing, anywhere.
Joseph taught landrace gardening at conferences hosted by the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, National Heirloom Expo, Organic Seed Alliance, Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NY), and Utah Farm & Food Conference. He is World Tomato Society ambassador.
Joseph learned seed saving from his grandfather and father, on a 6th generation family farm. He worked as a chemist before melting down due to the ethical dilemmas. He sought refuge in a monastery, taking a vow of poverty, before returning to farming in his home village.
He grew market vegetables for three years then transitioned to seed keeping, landrace development, speaking, and writing.
His varieties are sold by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Experimental Farm Network, Giving Ground Seeds, Snake River Seed Cooperative, Wild Mountain Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, High Ground Gardens, Miss Penn's Mountain Seeds, and Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds.
Joseph taught landrace gardening at conferences hosted by the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, National Heirloom Expo, Organic Seed Alliance, Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NY), and Utah Farm & Food Conference. He is World Tomato Society ambassador.
Joseph learned seed saving from his grandfather and father, on a 6th generation family farm. He worked as a chemist before melting down due to the ethical dilemmas. He sought refuge in a monastery, taking a vow of poverty, before returning to farming in his home village.
He grew market vegetables for three years then transitioned to seed keeping, landrace development, speaking, and writing.
His varieties are sold by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Experimental Farm Network, Giving Ground Seeds, Snake River Seed Cooperative, Wild Mountain Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, High Ground Gardens, Miss Penn's Mountain Seeds, and Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 26, 2022
This is not the best written book, but the concepts it contains are so important and incredibly under-appreciated. I’ve spent significant portions of my life up to my eyeballs in microbiology, genetics, soil ecology, and permaculture, but the moment I first heard of landrace food crops was eye-opening; it’s such a great big “DUH” moment. It fits perfectly into everything science tells us about evolution, ecology, and how resilient populations adapt to changing conditions. And yet, (almost) no one thinks of it. Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that standardized vegetables are more important than vegetables that grow well and are delicious and nutritious, even though that goes against what should be scientifically obvious.
I’ve learned a lot from Joseph Lofthouse over the years, and like him I live in a climate where the vast majority of commercial seeds have no interest in growing. Lacking a farm-sized patch of land, I have a much harder time working with quite his level of plant diversity, but thankfully he’s been kind enough to do a lot of that work already; I’m planning to grow several of his landrace populations in my garden this year and I’m incredibly excited to see how they adapt to my local climate. Beyond that, I’m incorporating more diversity where I can. Why grow one variety of spinach when I can grow three? And who cares if they cross pollinate? They will all still be spinach!
I’ve learned a lot from Joseph Lofthouse over the years, and like him I live in a climate where the vast majority of commercial seeds have no interest in growing. Lacking a farm-sized patch of land, I have a much harder time working with quite his level of plant diversity, but thankfully he’s been kind enough to do a lot of that work already; I’m planning to grow several of his landrace populations in my garden this year and I’m incredibly excited to see how they adapt to my local climate. Beyond that, I’m incorporating more diversity where I can. Why grow one variety of spinach when I can grow three? And who cares if they cross pollinate? They will all still be spinach!
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October 3, 2021I loved making a large print, text only edition of this book specifically for my readers that are vision impaired, or dyslexic. It uses an 18 point legibility enhanced font. I'm printing on cream paper to reduce glare. I eliminated the blurry graphics. It is hardcover so that it lies flat to facilitate following the text. Extra white space was added between lines, and between paragraphs for increased legibility. I threw out any concern about making this look pretty for the perfectly sighted. My target audience will appreciate the care I put into every aspect of making the book accessible to them.
February 15, 2026
5 stars because this former chemist turned old and precious hippie is talking about agriculture unlike anyone else today. Totally changed the way I think about gardening when I learned about him a few years ago and this book really drove things home for me.
It feels really special to have some of his corn seed now entering its third generation in our garden (let me know if you want some!)
It feels really special to have some of his corn seed now entering its third generation in our garden (let me know if you want some!)
October 3, 2021
Arrived today and read today, so great. I love everything about this book. The gentle way the story is told, the historical context it places itself within, the charts at the end of the book describing which species are easiest to work with as a landrace, and all the stories and experience contained within.
Bonus points for the section on how to breed landrace chickens and for referencing the "hill people".
Fanboy'ing aside, if you're interested in growing vegetables at home and at scale in a way that doesn't require pesticides or fertiliser, and is resistant to unusual weather patterns … this is the book for you.
Lots of simple, practical advice on how to get started with landrace gardening.
Bonus points for the section on how to breed landrace chickens and for referencing the "hill people".
Fanboy'ing aside, if you're interested in growing vegetables at home and at scale in a way that doesn't require pesticides or fertiliser, and is resistant to unusual weather patterns … this is the book for you.
Lots of simple, practical advice on how to get started with landrace gardening.
March 19, 2023
More complicated than it seems
This book explores a fascinating concept: home breeding of vegetables to increase their suitability for a particular location. He makes it sound easy at first glance, but the more detail he goes into, the more difficult it seems to do without multiple well-separated fields, lots of growing space, and a willingness to tolerate failed experiments.
Since I have very limited gardening space and need my crops to be consistently edible, there isn't a lot in this book that I can put directly to use. However, it will inform my thinking as I work with the space I have.
This book explores a fascinating concept: home breeding of vegetables to increase their suitability for a particular location. He makes it sound easy at first glance, but the more detail he goes into, the more difficult it seems to do without multiple well-separated fields, lots of growing space, and a willingness to tolerate failed experiments.
Since I have very limited gardening space and need my crops to be consistently edible, there isn't a lot in this book that I can put directly to use. However, it will inform my thinking as I work with the space I have.
October 28, 2021
This is a great reference book for anyone who wants to garden without pesticides and in a mindful and useful way. My daughter and I have been dabbling in gardening this way for a number of years, but this book will help us take our gardening even further. It is very helpful in understanding which varieties of vegetable, flowers, etc. to plan near each other, and which to keep apart, as well as figuring out what plants will grow best for us in our area. I especially like the section on harvesting and saving seeds. This book will stay on my "active" shelf as I anticipate referring to it year-round!
May 27, 2025
An eye opener about plant genetics that all gardeners should read. We have it backwards about saving pure seed and fighting diseases and pests. This is a quick read, simply written, and usable immediately.
June 14, 2021
Landrace gardening will probably be a foreign concept to most gardeners, even those of us who have adopted organic and permaculture gardening techniques. Landrace gardening is a new paradigm in food production. Joseph Lofthouse does an excellent job of explaining this paradigm, and has the experience to back it up. The reader quickly understands that this isn't just theory, this is reality.
The first chapter, "Survival of the Fittest," is an introduction to what landrace gardening is, how landrace seeds differ from commercially produced seed, and why it yields better results.
Chapter 2, "Freelance vs. Industry," details the history and politics of food production and the shifting balance between small-scale versus centralized trends. The author beautifully illustrates the dichotomy we now find ourselves in as a result of these opposing philosophies.
Chapter 3 is titled "Continuous Improvement." This is where the author makes his case for genetic diversity through landracing: reliability, productivity, better tasting food, less stress—for both the garden and the gardener! The information in this chapter is framed in personal experience, and gives the reader an understanding of how doable landracing a garden is.
The next chapter, "Heirlooms, Hybrids, and Landraces," explores the meanings of these terms, and for me, challenged a number of assumptions I've had about heirlooms and especially hybrids. In this chapter Joseph explains the problems with heirlooms and how to use hybrids to increase genetic diversity, as well as what to watch out for.
Chapter 5, "Creating Landraces," starts getting to the nitty-gritty of the book. The previous chapters equipped the reader with "why," now we start learning "how." We learn what kinds of seeds to use to get started, how to find them, and how to plant for desirable crossing. This chapter also explains which hybrids are useful for landracing and which are not.
The goal of landrace plant breeding is to create crops that thrive in our own gardens. Chapter 8, "New Methods and Crops," explores some of the techniques and possibilities of landracing garden seeds. It's filled with many, many examples, which further equip the reader for success.
Chapter 7 is titled "Promiscuous Pollination." Initially, I thought this was just a cutesy title, but promiscuous pollination is a real thing! Discusses the aspects of pollination, outcrossing, and mostly-selfing. Lots of examples clarify these subjects to the reader's advantage.
Chapter 8 discusses food security. It stresses the importance of community, inbreeding vs. diversity, crop cloning, full season growing, multi-species diversity, and foraging. Again, the many examples from the author's observations and experience are treasured added value.
Chapter 9, "Landrace Maintenance," explains how to maintain a large genetic base for healthy landrace crops. Discusses adding new genetics, keeping older genetics, the value of larger populations, selection, and crossing.
Chapter 10 deals with "Pests and Diseases." If landrace varieties are more productive, then are they more resistant to pests and diseases? In this chapter, Joseph discusses how he deals with pests and diseases, and how he encourages and selects for resistance.
Chapter 11, "Saving Seeds." The goal here is to breed plants that become localized to the growing conditions in any particular garden. Saving seeds as a landrace gardener alleviates the isolation issues that are difficult for people who are trying to maintain purity in highly inbred cultivars. Discusses dry and wet harvesting, seed viability, and best storage conditions.
Chapters 12 through 16 take a detailed look at five common farm and garden crops: tomatoes, corn, legumes, squash, and grains. Each discusses advantages and problems of growing, breeding, and selecting seed for the many varieties existing within each group. Also contains tips on cooking and storing. The author's talent for plainly explaining technical information really shines in these chapters.
Chapter 17, "Landrace Everything," begins to extend the landrace concept beyond grain and vegetables: chickens, honeybees, mushrooms, and trees. Once again, this chapter contains good information and tips for extending a landrace program.
The appendix contains a quick, easy-reference summary of the book, and a very handy chart entitled "Ease of Developing Landrace Crops." It guides the reader as to the ease or difficulty of landracing various crops including which F1 hybrids to avoid.
In his preface, the author says, "The take-away message from this book is a message of hope." And it absolutely is. So, if you are a discouraged gardener, frustrated with germination failure and poor performance, then this book is for you. If you are interested in food security and diversity, then this book is for you. If you are looking for a practical way to "do something" to address the world's many problems, then this book is for you.
The first chapter, "Survival of the Fittest," is an introduction to what landrace gardening is, how landrace seeds differ from commercially produced seed, and why it yields better results.
Chapter 2, "Freelance vs. Industry," details the history and politics of food production and the shifting balance between small-scale versus centralized trends. The author beautifully illustrates the dichotomy we now find ourselves in as a result of these opposing philosophies.
Chapter 3 is titled "Continuous Improvement." This is where the author makes his case for genetic diversity through landracing: reliability, productivity, better tasting food, less stress—for both the garden and the gardener! The information in this chapter is framed in personal experience, and gives the reader an understanding of how doable landracing a garden is.
The next chapter, "Heirlooms, Hybrids, and Landraces," explores the meanings of these terms, and for me, challenged a number of assumptions I've had about heirlooms and especially hybrids. In this chapter Joseph explains the problems with heirlooms and how to use hybrids to increase genetic diversity, as well as what to watch out for.
Chapter 5, "Creating Landraces," starts getting to the nitty-gritty of the book. The previous chapters equipped the reader with "why," now we start learning "how." We learn what kinds of seeds to use to get started, how to find them, and how to plant for desirable crossing. This chapter also explains which hybrids are useful for landracing and which are not.
The goal of landrace plant breeding is to create crops that thrive in our own gardens. Chapter 8, "New Methods and Crops," explores some of the techniques and possibilities of landracing garden seeds. It's filled with many, many examples, which further equip the reader for success.
Chapter 7 is titled "Promiscuous Pollination." Initially, I thought this was just a cutesy title, but promiscuous pollination is a real thing! Discusses the aspects of pollination, outcrossing, and mostly-selfing. Lots of examples clarify these subjects to the reader's advantage.
Chapter 8 discusses food security. It stresses the importance of community, inbreeding vs. diversity, crop cloning, full season growing, multi-species diversity, and foraging. Again, the many examples from the author's observations and experience are treasured added value.
Chapter 9, "Landrace Maintenance," explains how to maintain a large genetic base for healthy landrace crops. Discusses adding new genetics, keeping older genetics, the value of larger populations, selection, and crossing.
Chapter 10 deals with "Pests and Diseases." If landrace varieties are more productive, then are they more resistant to pests and diseases? In this chapter, Joseph discusses how he deals with pests and diseases, and how he encourages and selects for resistance.
Chapter 11, "Saving Seeds." The goal here is to breed plants that become localized to the growing conditions in any particular garden. Saving seeds as a landrace gardener alleviates the isolation issues that are difficult for people who are trying to maintain purity in highly inbred cultivars. Discusses dry and wet harvesting, seed viability, and best storage conditions.
Chapters 12 through 16 take a detailed look at five common farm and garden crops: tomatoes, corn, legumes, squash, and grains. Each discusses advantages and problems of growing, breeding, and selecting seed for the many varieties existing within each group. Also contains tips on cooking and storing. The author's talent for plainly explaining technical information really shines in these chapters.
Chapter 17, "Landrace Everything," begins to extend the landrace concept beyond grain and vegetables: chickens, honeybees, mushrooms, and trees. Once again, this chapter contains good information and tips for extending a landrace program.
The appendix contains a quick, easy-reference summary of the book, and a very handy chart entitled "Ease of Developing Landrace Crops." It guides the reader as to the ease or difficulty of landracing various crops including which F1 hybrids to avoid.
In his preface, the author says, "The take-away message from this book is a message of hope." And it absolutely is. So, if you are a discouraged gardener, frustrated with germination failure and poor performance, then this book is for you. If you are interested in food security and diversity, then this book is for you. If you are looking for a practical way to "do something" to address the world's many problems, then this book is for you.
December 14, 2021
Joseph offers his brand of out-of-the-box thinking on seed saving, heirlooms, and plant breeding. His process for creating landraces is fascinating, and while I don't agree with all of it, I found myself wondering if life wouldn't be a lot easier if we all did things his way.
July 14, 2021
Disappointing book and truly demonstrates a sloppy technique for plant breeding. Met him in person once and attended his talks, not impressed. Seems to be ego driven and quickly wiped out the history of the seeds he obtained from other seedkeepers.
August 30, 2022
I read a lot of reviews before I checked out this book, which made me think it was going to be a lot more polemical or mystical or just marginal than it really was. I found it to be a straightforward, even dry, brief description of how someone with little land, in a short-season desert, working it with virtually no-inputs, develops seed varieties that will produce healthy food. If that sounds interesting to you, check it out.
In response to people who found it heartless re: heirloom seed saving, I don't mean to be rude, but I think the perilous times we live in do call on us to start producing our own vegetable varieties that can handle the extreme conditions we're throwing at them. I mean no disrespect to heirlooms (and real heirloom fans will note Jere Gettle's blurb endorsing the book). But heirlooms often came into being as landrace varieties we only later curated into heirloom status. Let's not disrespect the future by fetishizing the past too much - I love a good heirloom bean as much as the next person but maybe the real heirloom we need to be preserving is the art of landrace seed development, not the specific varieties themselves? You don't have to throw out all the stories of how the seeds got here, I'm not suggesting they don't matter. I'm just saying it's the 11th hour here people, and this book is a very user friendly guide to get started.
In response to people who found it heartless re: heirloom seed saving, I don't mean to be rude, but I think the perilous times we live in do call on us to start producing our own vegetable varieties that can handle the extreme conditions we're throwing at them. I mean no disrespect to heirlooms (and real heirloom fans will note Jere Gettle's blurb endorsing the book). But heirlooms often came into being as landrace varieties we only later curated into heirloom status. Let's not disrespect the future by fetishizing the past too much - I love a good heirloom bean as much as the next person but maybe the real heirloom we need to be preserving is the art of landrace seed development, not the specific varieties themselves? You don't have to throw out all the stories of how the seeds got here, I'm not suggesting they don't matter. I'm just saying it's the 11th hour here people, and this book is a very user friendly guide to get started.
June 29, 2024
I read this book in two days because I was (still am) quite excited about the Idea of Landrace Gardening.
It is not the best writing, more in the style of jumbled-up thoughts on a specific topic but still a lot of information and thought-provoking ideas.
I would have liked a bit more structure but think this book is still great and revives old ideas of gardening and food security.
The process of "destroying" old varieties and the work of many plant breeders can be a point of disagreement but in the end, I believe that we can still appreciate those varieties and what genetic diversity they bring to a landrace. What use is an old variety, that does not thrive in our ecosystem and needs to be pampered to create food? Those varieties exist because they thrived in some other ecosystem and could produce food dependently. But to create such a locally adapted variety for our ecosystem we need to combine the diversity of many other varieties to breed our own.
The genetics of those old varieties do not get lost with landrace gardening. They are remixed to create better ones.
It is not the best writing, more in the style of jumbled-up thoughts on a specific topic but still a lot of information and thought-provoking ideas.
I would have liked a bit more structure but think this book is still great and revives old ideas of gardening and food security.
The process of "destroying" old varieties and the work of many plant breeders can be a point of disagreement but in the end, I believe that we can still appreciate those varieties and what genetic diversity they bring to a landrace. What use is an old variety, that does not thrive in our ecosystem and needs to be pampered to create food? Those varieties exist because they thrived in some other ecosystem and could produce food dependently. But to create such a locally adapted variety for our ecosystem we need to combine the diversity of many other varieties to breed our own.
The genetics of those old varieties do not get lost with landrace gardening. They are remixed to create better ones.
October 2, 2023
This is the way! I can't really believe I didn't know about landrace gardening. It's a great introductory book, though it lacks a bit of practical know-how, I wasn't so bothered by it. If you have some experience gardening, it is enough to get you started. The book is really activating and got me super excited to get down and dirty in the garden.
Every permaculturist and permaculture book that talks about gardening annuals, should talk about landrace gardening. It is the permaculture way. Landrace gardening stands separate from it, but it's all about the resilience through diversity, so it makes sense that if you're into permaculture, this should be part of your toolbox.
I've lost interest in heritage breeds and varieties. I just want those genetics to start experimenting with and creating the locally adapted gene pools that will thrive where I live. Can't wait to have the space to really start moving on making some of my own landraces.
Every permaculturist and permaculture book that talks about gardening annuals, should talk about landrace gardening. It is the permaculture way. Landrace gardening stands separate from it, but it's all about the resilience through diversity, so it makes sense that if you're into permaculture, this should be part of your toolbox.
I've lost interest in heritage breeds and varieties. I just want those genetics to start experimenting with and creating the locally adapted gene pools that will thrive where I live. Can't wait to have the space to really start moving on making some of my own landraces.
October 18, 2024
Voor alle tuiniers een bron van inspiratie. Via natuurlijke selectie kom je tot planten die het goed doen in jouw tuin, zonder externe compost, meststof, grondverbeteraars,..... Eerste stap: zaadvaste plantjes kopen en niet hybride zaden. Je verwelkomt plagen en extreme weersomstandigheden en spaart zaden van de planten die overleven, floreren en natuurlijk lekkere vruchten opleveren. Het vergt wel enige koelbloedigheid om de natuur zijn gang te laten gaan als het misloopt. Dat overkwam mij met meloenen. Slechts 1 plant van de 10 gaf me een vrucht die gaaf was en lekker. Daarvan behield ik de zaden en enkel die zaai ik volgend jaar, aangevuld met enkele nieuwe soorten.
May 9, 2022
Ehkä paras puutarhakirja ikinä. Saattaa muuttaa koko tavan suhtautua puutarhaan ja viljelemiseen, jos on tottunut vähän toisentyyppisiin kirjoihin (semmoisiin myynninedistämiskirjoihin, joissa on isot kiiltävät kuvat ja fiksaatio kaikkien lajikkeiden tai varianttien keräilemisestä). Läpikotaisin tervejärkinen ja itse pitkään hankalissa oloissa (Suomi!) kotitarveviljelleenä huomasin nyökytteleväni yhdessä jos toisessakin kohdassa. Ja jotkut kohdat olivat niin loogisia, että tunsin itseni vähän hölmöksi, että miten mä en ole tuota itse tajunnut. (No, ei sitä aina vaan tajua.)
April 20, 2023
Good treatise on breeding for resiliency and joy
I've followed Joseph's work via the Permies forum for nearly a decade now and am glad to have read his book and learn from his experience
I've followed Joseph's work via the Permies forum for nearly a decade now and am glad to have read his book and learn from his experience
April 13, 2022
Quirky little book with some solid ideas. Worth a read!
March 21, 2023
Interesting read
Very interesting although I don't think I have the space or time to do it very interesting ideas. I do recommend the book.
Very interesting although I don't think I have the space or time to do it very interesting ideas. I do recommend the book.
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August 6, 2023Worth reading
July 26, 2024
Awesome resource about adapting plants and seeds to your yard and your community.
December 8, 2025
The most life changing gardening book I've ever read. Inspiring, simple, powerful. I put it into practice and it worked for many varieties of vegetables for me.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews