Starting Seeds How to Grow Healthy, Productive Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers from Seed. A Storey BASICS® Title

There is no greater wonder than watching a seed transform itself into a garden plant. Starting seeds, however, can be notoriously difficult for first-time growers. Even seasoned gardeners can find themselves relying on expensive starts from garden stores. Starting seeds isn'â„¢t difficult; it just takes a little know-how. Now, everyone can get a jump start on the growing season with Seed Starting Basics. This concise, straightforward guide streamlines and simplifies the process of growing plants from seeds. By grouping similar plants and creating schedules based on the plants'â„¢ germination and care requirements, Ellis removes the stress and the mystery of seed starting. The book includes basic how-to information, an explanation of the germination process, and starting techniques for a bumper crop of vegetable seeds, as well as for the most common ornamentals and perennials. Seed Starting Basics is filled with practical, hands-on advice that will help growers avoid the most common challenges ' like spindly starts, dry soil, and fungus. Gardeners will be astonished as a simple seed shoots up from the soil and ' as if by magic ' becomes a robust, garden-ready plant!

Barbara W. Ellis is a freelance writer, editor, and lifelong gardener. She is the author of many gardening books, including The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book, Deckscaping, Shady Retreats, and Covering Ground. She holds a B.S. in horticulture from the Ohio State University, Columbus, and a B.A. from Kenyon College. She has worked as managing editor at Rodale Press and as publications director for the American Horticultural Society and is affiliated with the Hardy Plant Society Mid-Atlantic Group, the Garden Writers Association, and the Perennial Plant Association. She lives and gardens in Maryland, where she and her husband live in a renovated “green” home with an assortment of rescued dogs, cats, and parrots. Her garden, which is managed organically and designed to be wildlife-friendly, features a wide range of ornamentals, herbs, and edibles for both sun and shade.