Growing plants from seeds is a practice that humans have been practicing for millennia. Even so, knowing where to start can be challenging! Luckily, there are lots of resources available to help get you started, or to help you dig deeper into the topics of gardening, seed saving, seed security and general plant knowledge.
We’ve gathered a few reads that we keep coming back to. Looking to pick up a permanent copy? Consider supporting your neighbourhood book shop or your local library.
Have a favourite resource? Let us know via social media @bcecoseedcoop or email us: info@bcecoseedcoop.com
Community & Resilience
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming by Natasha Bowens
- The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants by Jennifer Jewell
- Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman
- The New Farmer’s Almanac, Volume V: Grand Land Plan by Greenhorns
- Renewing Salmon Nation's Food Traditions Gary Paul Nabhan
Farming & Gardening
- Diseases and Pests of Vegetable Crops in Canada edited by Howard, Garland, Seaman
- eOrganic - Research-based information from America's land-grant universities
- Four-Season Harvest, The New Organic Grower, The Winter Harvest Handbook, by Eliot Coleman
- Government of Canada Publications - Access to reports, research and manuals from the Canadian Government, including this book, Northern Gardening from 1976!
- Growing Together Video Series- a group of organizations from across the Victoria capital region (Coast Salish territories), have a great video series delivered by many great growers and organizers.
- Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: the complete guide to organic growing by Steve Solomon
- Johnny's Grower's Library - growing information, planting tools, seed calculators, videos and more
- My First Vegetable Garden - Hundreds of simple instructional videos for new gardeners
- The Mother Earth News Guide to Vegetable Gardening: building and maintaining healthy soil, wise watering, pest control strategies, home composting, dozens of growing guides for fruits & vegetables by Mother Earth News
- Rodale Institute - Organic farming research and education organization, with webinars
- The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Pacific Northwest by Lorene Edwards Forkner
- UBC Botanical Garden - Forums and guides for growing gardens in Metro Vancouver, check out the Grow Green Guide for design inspiration and the forum to discuss all things green and growing (and more).
- USDA Agricultural Library - Reports, research and manuals from the Alternative Farming Systems Information Centre
- Young Agrarians - Resources, events and blog posts and innovative programs
Seed Saving, Security & Sovereignty
- Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security - Hours of knowledge on seed from experts across the country
- BC Seeds - BC wide seeds program with workshops, field days, and field research
- Borrow Save Share - Excellent resources for seed libraries and community seed
- Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener’s and Farmer’s Guide to Plant Breeding and Saving by Carol Deppe
- Community Seed Network
- The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs by Robert E Gough
- Going to Seed - Blog from Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Cooperative Farm in Quebec
- How to Save Your Own Seeds: A Handbook for Home Seed Production by Seeds of Diversity
- The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits by Andrea Heistinger
- The New Seed Starter’s Handbook by Nancy Bube
- Organic Seed Alliance
- The Organic Seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production by John Navazio
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The Seed Ambassadors Project - Oregon-based group, dedicated to increasing the diversity of locally adapted varieties and sharing education on seed saving through workshops and resources such as their Guide to
Seed Saving, Seed Stewardship & Seed Sovereignty - Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada
- SeedChange (formerly USC Canada) - A fantastic organization working towards an equitable world by helping farmers improve their lives by growing healthy food, starting with good seeds. YouTube channel here.
- Seeds of Diversity
- The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving by Jared Zystro and Micaela Colley
- Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables by Carol Turner
- Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth
- Small-Scale Organic Seed Production Manual by Patrick Steiner
Podcasts
See our podcast post here!
