A major benefit of saving seed and starting plants from saved seed rather than seeds or plants that have been shipped from another location is it allows you to grow plants that are better adapted to local environmental conditions.
This growers' guide starts off with a primer on pollination, gathers together tips on harvesting and storing seeds, collects advice on germination, stores details on vegetables and flowering plants, and sows the inspiration to save and to cultivate.
"What it really all comes down to is the pleasure of working with seeds - harvesting them, storing them, sowing them, and nurturing the tiny seedlings that grow from them," says garden writer Sheri Ann Richerson, who also authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening and 101 Organic Gardening Tips.