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Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables
This Taylor's Guide sorts out the best heirloom vegetables and tells readers where to find them. These varieties, at least fifty years old, have usually been preserved by regional, ethnic, or family groups, although some, like Golden Bantam corn, are still widely popular today.
343 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2012
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES by Benjamin Watson is a good starting point if you are interested in growing historic varieties of seed. Opening with an explanation of heirloom vegetables, it also touches base on organic control of pests and diseases. In deference to what another reviewer wrote, pages 7-13 supply you with basic seed-saving practices. Of course, there are several great books if you are looking for in-depth information such as Nancy Bubel's THE NEW SEED STARTERS HANDBOOK or Carol Deppe's BREED YOUR OWN VEGETABLE VARIETIES.
'The Plant Gallery' includes clear and colorful portraits that help you to identify some one-hundred-plus garden vegetables that are available for you to grow. I have tried many of these and Mr. Watson does a fantastic job of showing you what they look like. It helps that many of the consultants to this reference encompass a large area of expertise and are authors of their own books.
Another section is devoted to each vegetable with a short description, brief instructions on how to grow and harvest it and pests and diseases to be aware of. The author recommends varieties for you to consider. Some are found elsewhere in the book and others are not.
There is a good selection of mail order seed sources listed at the back. Seed Savers Exchange is one of the best. I encourage everyone to join this fantastic group of people committed to saving a part of our heritage. As always use the internet to rate the sites. HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES was published in 1996 so some businesses may not be as good as before or have closed. Two great companies that were not listed that I have personally ordered from in the past five years are Sand Hill Preservation Center and Baker Creek Heirlooms. Lastly, the author gives you some excellent works to read, many of which should be found at your local library.
'The Plant Gallery' includes clear and colorful portraits that help you to identify some one-hundred-plus garden vegetables that are available for you to grow. I have tried many of these and Mr. Watson does a fantastic job of showing you what they look like. It helps that many of the consultants to this reference encompass a large area of expertise and are authors of their own books.
Another section is devoted to each vegetable with a short description, brief instructions on how to grow and harvest it and pests and diseases to be aware of. The author recommends varieties for you to consider. Some are found elsewhere in the book and others are not.
There is a good selection of mail order seed sources listed at the back. Seed Savers Exchange is one of the best. I encourage everyone to join this fantastic group of people committed to saving a part of our heritage. As always use the internet to rate the sites. HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES was published in 1996 so some businesses may not be as good as before or have closed. Two great companies that were not listed that I have personally ordered from in the past five years are Sand Hill Preservation Center and Baker Creek Heirlooms. Lastly, the author gives you some excellent works to read, many of which should be found at your local library.
December 15, 2011
Excellent guide to growing the most common home vegetables including when and how. Lovely photos with brief historical info.
June 27, 2010
Excellent reference for heirloom vegetables.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews