Gardening with Heirloom Seeds:
Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, & Vegetables for a New Generation
(Univ. of NC Press, 2006)
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Heirloom seeds are more than the promise of next summer’s crookneck squash or jewel-colored zinnias. They’re living antiques handed down from one generation to the next, a rich inheritance of flavor and beauty from long ago and, often, far away. They are sometimes better adapted to pests and harsh conditions than many modern varieties and often simply smell or taste better. Gardening with Heirloom Seeds is a resource for gardeners, cooks, and plant lovers of all levels of expertise who want to know more about finding, sharing, and propagating the seeds of heirloom flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Click here to hear Lynn talk about heirlooms: Heirloom Gardening
These beautifully illustrated pages include descriptions of fifty treasured heirloom species, from Frenchman’s Darling, a flowering herb whose seeds were pocketed by Napoleon Bonaparte when he invaded Egypt in 1798, to Snow White beets, an old Dutch favorite that will not stain the cook’s fingers red. Most of the plants included here will grow all across the United States; a few are best suited for warmer climates.
The text is sprinkled throughout with practical advice from heirloom gardeners and lists sources for finding the seeds of many old varieties. Because it also provides ample room for making notes, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds can be used year after year and can become an heirloom in its own right–a personal journal to pass along to the next generation of gardeners.
Sincere thanks to translator Martha Ruszkowski for posting info about Gardening with Heirloom Seeds in the Ukranian language, for international readers!
What Readers are Saying:
“This pleasant book leads us cheerfully and invitingly through the seasons, sowing and growing heirloom plants. Lynn Coulter’s light, informative style makes this book good reading for both new gardeners and those already smitten with seed sowing and heirlooms. . . . Gardening with Heirloom Seeds is delightful to peruse with morning coffee, with evening tea, or anytime the gardener needs a break from daily cares. Whether you read it straight through or in bits and pieces, you’ll find it informative and diverting.” –American Gardener
watermelons and cantaloupes from a 1923 D.M. Ferry catalog
“[In Gardening with Heirloom Seeds] Coulter sets out to provide readers with ‘a sampler for heirloom seeds’ to learn about and grow. . . . The listings . . . include a wide enough range of edible and ornamental plans to populate a large and varied garden. They also provide well-researched, lively descriptions, including fascinating facts about common plants and their uses throughout history. . . . Her stylish, interesting text, an exhaustive listing of sources for heirloom seeds and numerous color and b&w illustrations make this a welcome addition to every gardener’s bookshelf.”–Publishers Weekly
“[Gardening with Heirloom Seeds] is a detailed delight.”–Southeast Gardening with L. A. Jackson
“A well-written, useful, nicely organized, and beautifully illustrated book. For die-hard gardeners who grow plants from seed, it’s a great experience.” –Washington Gardener
“The ‘living antiques’ of fruit, vegetable, and flower worlds get their due in Lynn Coulter’s premier book, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds. Through lush photography and fascinating stories about seeds lost and found, Coulter inspires the urge to plant these rare beauties, and provides some basic growing tips to boot.” –Midwest Home
“…one of the most captivating, inspiring, whimsical, and profound books on gardening I have ever encountered. Lynn Coulter’s vast knowledge and research reveal fascinating stories…I cannot wait to read and reread this superbly written text as I smell the blossoms.” – Frank Stitt III, Chef/Owner of Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega, and Chez Fonfon.
from an antique W. Henry Maule seed catalog
“…takes our precious heirlooms off the shelf and puts them in the garden where they can delight a new generation with their exceptional flavors, curious personalities, and great good looks.” – Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
