Book Talk on Plant Breeding & Seed Saving

Nicki’s Wonder List
Show Notes
“Book Talk on Plant Breeding and Seed Saving”
Season 02, Episode 05

***************************

In this book talk episode, Nicki shares a few titles on plant breeding and seed saving.

Book list on Bookshop.org

Book Titles

Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's and Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding and Seed Saving, 2nd Edition (Revised and Expanded) by Carol Deppe (Author)

Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition (Revised) by Suzanne Ashworth (Author)  

Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening: Innovative Techniques for Growing Vegetables, Grains, and Perennial Food Crops by Will Bonsall (Author)

The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving by Shanyn Siegel (Editor)  Lee Buttala (Editor)  

Return to Resistance: Breeding Crops to Reduce Pesticide Dependence by Raoul A. Robinson (Author). Not available on Bookshop but can be found at the following:

• Purchase paperback from Greenhorns.org
• Download free ebook or PDF from IDRC
• Read PDF on Google Books
• Purchase paperback on Amazon

Further Reading & Links

Sierra Seeds & Rowan White

“USDA Report Highlights Harms of Seed Consolidation and Restrictive IP” in Food & Power

***************************

Connect & Support 

Nicki’s Wonder List

Exploring story in a time of collapse 

Signup for Updates -  at nickiswonderlist.com

Buy Books -  from our storefront on Bookshop.org

@nickiswonderlist on Instagram

@nickiswonderlist on Facebook 

#nickiswonderlist

Transcript

Book Talk on Plant Breeding & Seed Saving

[music]

Nicki: Hello, welcome to Nicki's Wonder List, a podcast about exploring story in a time of collapse. I'm Nicki Youngsma

[music fade]

Nicki: In this book talk, I'm going to be sharing a few titles about the topic of plant breeding and seed saving. I came to this topic many years ago when I was reading a National Geographic,  series about how to feed the world. Um, the crystal moment was when I saw this map that showed how much of the world's terrain is used to farm like, food for people and then farm food for animals or biofuels.

And learning that agriculture has a huge environmental impact on our planet. And then that just kind of stayed with me. And then when I was pregnant, , and then I had a baby, I just, like, felt really vulnerable, um, with all of this in mind, , about , access to food, food security, , and knowing that I'm just one of billions of humans um, I continued this research, you know, on this interest and then also, experimenting with different dietary practices and lifestyle and, and getting into gardening. That's another reason that I got into, uh, horticulture and being interested in learning more about agriculture.

 I started to get involved in some local non-profits that do this work in these spaces, and then um, while I was doing that, I learned that, one big part of, growing food has to do with access to seeds, and knowledge about seeds, and at one point, I was asked to submit a proposal for a sustainability symposium in 2020. to talk about agrobiodiversity and, um, why it's important.

 And just like in a nutshell, you know, what is agrobiodiversity and it's, the different variety of, creatures feed us, you know, that we rely on to sustain our own lives and within the whole, like, history. you know, the human experience, , you know, somewhere between 5,000 to 70,000 species of plants, for instance, have comprised the human diet.

Um, and in the last 50 to 70 years, that number has shrunk to about 30 species. And there's been a mass extinction of heirloom varieties of food crops. That's happened in that time. That is a big problem and a thing that you know, learning that just kind of continued to fuel my own curiosity and how do we maintain the biodiversity that we have.

 And understanding like how to propagate plants. is like ancient knowledge as well as like something I had no experience with.

, and where this started to lead me was learning more about genetics, and you know, a lot of the resources I, kept running into, would use these terms , that come from genetics, you know, concepts that I just like had a little bit of, exposure to, you know, I'm thinking like eighth grade science class or something like dealing with Punnett squares.

Nicki: And, um, some of that was coming back. As I was continuing to learn more about, you know, agrobiodiversity and, these things are helpful to know in order to engage with propagating plants.

 There are a lot of threats to conservation, , of the biodiversity that we continue to have. And so one of the ways that, came to mind for me for being engaged with, how to, be a part of keeping that biodiversity is learning about seed saving and learning more about, how to propagate plants.

 And so, some of these books that I'm going to share today are books that have been helpful for me for kind of demystifying and untangling some of these terms and concepts that I initially found to be really, , difficult for me.

So, yeah, so let's get started.

Breed your own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardeners and Farmers Guide to Plant Breeding and seed Saving by Carol Depp

Nicki: The first book that I've got today is Breed, your own vegetable varieties. The Gardeners and Farmers Guide to Plant Breeding and seed Saving by Carol Depp.

So I got this book recommendation, from someone I knew through my nonprofit work, um, who's a plant breeder. And they, had worked with this author, uh, in the past.

And, there's a lot of things I like about the book. And, uh, something that I know about the author, is, um, they're also a founder of the Open Source Seed Initiative that organization is inspired by the open source software, , movement and, is modeled after that. And the goal is, is to keep, you know, genetic resources or, you know, plants, seeds, that kind of stuff in the, the, um, commons, um, to keep it from being privatized.

 So the author's background is in genetics and molecular biology, so they worked in academia for a period of time. And then they, um, Um, left academia and then they started get more involved in backyard gardening and, and learning how to do that.

And um, the introduction to the second edition is interesting because it's what they do is they outline the changes that happened from when the first edition of the book was written, there were many changes in the legal system and the economic system that kind of, um, have allowed for big, you know, industries, you know, agribusiness industries to consolidate, , their power, over genetic resources, over seeds, um, over, um, using patents, using licenses, um, or restrictive licenses, that kind of stuff.

And, um, it's interesting too that the author mentions like how universities, , have also kind of like, uh, been pulled into this, of, filing patents on plants, , and making, , You know, making hybrids, um, , and they operate more in an agribusiness way, , rather than as a , resource for the public. , and the author also mentions how universities don't really teach plant breeding. Like, , the author didn't learn plant breeding being a molecular biologist and a geneticist, and that's not being taught in universities, according to them.

 And genetic engineering is just one tool that focuses on one gene. Um, and that's kind of like what is being taught in universities.

So anyways, this book, I feel like, is helpful because it, it comes from someone who has experience in genetics and they're writing for backyard gardeners. they learned as a backyard gardener. Um, and I, think a lot of the, um, perspective, um, that they bring is helpful because humans have been breeding vegetables for thousands of years and, no one had a lab make teosinte into corn.

Um, so, the book is about 7 and a half inches by 9 and a half inches. the contents, you know, um, like, there's a really detailed description in the contents page, which I like. Um, , I think it makes it a little bit more accessible and less intimidating to start engaging with some of these genetic terms and concepts. , you know, a lot of the voice, that the book is written in is kind of like friendly to beginners, and explains genetic terms in that way.

The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving by editors Shannon Siegel and Lea Butala

Nicki: The next book that I've got today is called The Seed Garden, The Art and Practice of Seed Saving by editors Shannon Siegel and Lea Butala. I found this book from a class that I took, actually, by an indigenous seed keeper named Rowan White who runs an organization called Sierra Seeds, , out of California.

And, um, during, you know, the initial year of COVID lockdown, I, like many people, were at home, so I took this online course. And, um, this was a book that was recommended as, like, further reading, and so I got it, and, um, yeah, I think it's a book that I like, um, it's, kind of big, um, it has really pretty photos, and it's like something that I sit on the couch with, and kind of, flip through the pages, and, uh, it's divided kind of into two sections, like one section being introduction , to the art and practice of seed saving. And then it outlines terms.

The next section of the book is dedicated to crop profiles and they're listed in alphabetical order. I like how the text in this book is really broken up and spacious and, um, , you know, I feel like I kind of flip through it like a magazine first where I kind of, like, look at the pictures and then I'll, like, read, , the text.

And then each crop profile has anywhere between three to five pages, um, You know, each, section is kind of broken up into , how to grow this particular plant, How to perform variety maintenance, , how does pollination work, cleaning of seed, and then the seeds, history.

 So that's kind of the outline of this book. Um, definitely something that I, , kind of sit down and read like a magazine on the couch with tea.

 Seed to Seed

Nicki: The next book, um, I also got from Rowan White's course as a recommendation for further reading. It's called Seed to Seed, seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, Second Edition. By Suzanne Ashworth.

 So this book is also kind of got a, larger trim size. Um, it's not very heavy, um, it doesn't feel like a book. Beefy book. This was something that, uh, in this course, the seed saving course I took, um, from Sierra Seeds, that, the instructor said that they use this on the farm, you know, , and I can see that because, like, the book doesn't feel precious.

It doesn't feel, like, really, like, pretty. Like, there's photos in it, but they're in black and white, there's no color. Um, the text is a little bit more condensed. It's organized, similarly to the seed garden where there's one section that there's an introduction kind of like seed saving in the big picture.

And then just, you know, introduction to, botanical classifications, um, seed cleaning . And then the second section is, centered on crop profiles where there's, um, you know, like the major families and then specific varieties within those families. So yeah, kind of a nice, , companion to, , have like where, you know, maybe this, this could like live, closer to, you know, where you're dealing with your seeds.

 Because I feel like it's nice to have books that, you can get dirty, especially for stuff like this, because when I had a greenhouse, and needed to consult something about seed saving, or like cleaning the seeds, and having a book, on hand where like, you could do that, , and you might feel okay about it.

Will Bonzel's Guide to Radical Self Reliant Gardening:  Innovative Techniques for Growing Vegetables, Grains, and Perennial Food Crops by Will Bonzel

Nicki: Another title that I've got today is called, Will Bonzel's Essential Guide to Radical Self Reliant Gardening. Innovative Techniques for Growing Vegetables, Grains, and Perennial Food Crops by Will Bonzel. I learned about this book because the author, um, was in a documentary I saw, , called Seed the Untold Story.

 Which is a really impactful, um, documentary for me I looked up the author. I got this book, and so this is definitely a little bit more of like a comprehensive guide to homesteading.

The book is divided into, you know, different sections, you know, kind of centered around, home gardening, And, uh, where there's like a section about soil fertility, propagating plants, which includes seed saving. Then there's crop types and food storage and processing and then dealing with pests and then, gardening in context.

So this book, you know, I, I think it's a valuable book, but because the author is sharing their experience, , growing food and doing it in a way, that's closer to the land, not relying on as many outside and particularly synthetic inputs but I feel like there's some things about the book, I found to be a little bit difficult, , like it's really text heavy, in some sections where I just feel like I'm reading, you know, and it's a big book, like the trim size is, large and, I feel like I have to read it, um, and I don't really want to read a book that big, um, like there are photographs in it,, and they're good. , but I feel like I have to read a lot the text isn't really broken up as much as I would like it to be in a book of that size and that layout.

Um, And then kind of in the photographs, , you know, the author is doing like a lot of the things, like they're doing threshing, they're doing composting, and, uh, like kind of like he's doing all the things. And, um, , I think at least in my experience for like, , gardening in this way, like, I know I can't do all the things.

Um, I want to do all the things and that just kind of doesn't work in my life. And I, I really need it. community to do the things. Um, you know, I can't process food and grow food and , save seeds. Like, I can't do all that. But some people can and that's great. Um, so that's just like something I think about with this book. Another thing about this book is it's primarily the author sharing their own experience, um, which is several decades of, of doing this kind of work.

So I think that there's a lot of value in that. Um, there's also a little bit of like, in the voice of the writing, kind of like, this is. My experience, this is what works, this is what doesn't, and my opinion, is really important. You know, about politics, about dietary practices, kind of like , there's a little bit of a hint of like what's better. And, um, , I just notice that I kind of like, cringe a little bit, , because I think the world is a complex place but that, that's okay. I can handle it. Um, I think it's really important what the author is doing by, talking about ways we can envision, , living differently. Um, they also mention in this book that they wrote a novel about that, , , you know, of imagining a different world.

Um, so I think that that's interesting and we, we do need that. We do need imagining how life can be different, um, and what that looks like. And growing food is a big part of that.

Return to Resistance, Breeding Crops to Reduce Pesticide Dependence by Raoul A. Robinson

Nicki: The last book that I have today is called Return to Resistance, Breeding Crops to Reduce Pesticide Dependence by Raoul A. Robinson I also got this book recommendation from Rowan White's Seed Saving Course. really like it. It's interesting because I had to work really hard to find a copy of the book, um, because I think it out of print.

 There is a free PDF, however, and I'm going to link that in the show notes. Um, so the book is accessible, um, which is great.

 I just found that when I got the PDF, I really wanted to have the book in my hands. And I'm glad that I found it.

Um, I found an old copy. And, why I like this book is because it kind of helps me sift through some of the terms that come up in genetics and seed saving and plant propagation. Um, I get lost really fast.

So the way this book is organized is it kind of gives you what you need to know first to understand these things. And it has this diagram, that it kind of builds off of in each chapter. So, for instance, at the beginning of the book, it says there's two kinds of genetics. There's Mendelian genetics and biometricians.

 And then like the next chapter, it'll say there's two kinds of breeding. There's pedigree breeding and population breeding. And this diagram gets repeated throughout the book. And it's kind of like a tree diagram , or like a roots diagram, because it's upside down. ,

And then the next, chapter, there's two kinds of resistance. There's vertical resistance and horizontal resistance, and this goes on, , you know, throughout the book. Um, and this, , diagram gets built up, , and it gets repeated with the new parts and the new terms. Um, and I really like it, uh, because it, again, it kind of gives me some context, for these terms. And I find it really helpful to be able to see that.

And then there's just a ton of other sections of the book that I think are really interesting and helpful. it kind of provides snapshots of issues or terms, or things within the context of agriculture regarding, genetic diversity , and maintaining that.

Nicki: So those are all the books that I've got today for this topic about seed saving and plant breeding.

 I feel like These books have really helped fortify my foundational understanding in, genetics and plant breeding, um, which are fancy parts to gardening, I guess. Um, so , it's just another step for me to feel like I can participate in, conservation, and deepening my gardening practice, and having fun.

[music fade in]

Nicki: If any of these titles peak your interest, then go to the show notes, to buy books through the Nicki's Wonder List storefront on Bookshop.org. Purchasing through this storefront means you'll be supporting authors, independent book sellers, and this podcast.

Thank you for listening to Nicki's Wonder List. Until next time.

[Music fade out]