Gardening From Seed: The Keys to Success with Flowers and Vegetables

A Martha Stewart Living Book, 2000
112 pages

I use this book every single year when I start thinking about starting my seeds. I have several books on seed starting, but this is the one that is the most complete, and, much like all of Martha Stewart's endeavors, the most attractive. It is a nice, thin volume packed with well written information and gorgeous photos. The book is divided in three parts. Part One is all about starting seeds indoors. It contains everything you want to know (plus some) about growing seeds indoors. Everything from how to shop for seeds, to translating seed packets, to lights and containers and hardening off is covered here. Part Two is all about direct sowing, covering timing and methods. Part Three contains plans for both a kitchen and cutting garden, and, most usefully, a plant glossary of those plants that are most commonly started from seed. I use the plant glossary over and over again when planning my garden. It gives guidelines on when to plant the seeds, plant spacing, descriptions, and recommended varieties. Even though I've been starting seeds indoors for years, I still refer to Part One often. One of the nicest parts of Part One is a chart that shows how many of each vegetable you'd need to plant to feed a family, or how many of each flower to plant to keep your home full of bouquets all summer.

This is a very useful book, and if you are serious about starting your own seed, I heartily recommend getting a copy. ITGO