Carol Deppe

Fascinating book. Wish I could give half stars. I take away a half star for focusing the book and her advice almost solely on the Pacific Northwest. For a book of the size and price of thus one, I'd expect some charts, graphs, and advice which would expand the areas where the book could be used. Many gardening books do this. I also thought an editor should have tidied up the length of the book. I liked the personal stories about her mother, gluten-free diets, and duck raising, but felt there was too much repetition.… (más)

Take this review with a grain of salt, as I haven't actually tried to breed any of my own vegetable varieties yet. That said, it's a fascinating read and having read it, I feel like I have a handle on how to go about attempting to do so. Deppe gives a good mix of clearly explained theory and interesting case studies of amateur plant breeding in action.

I have read reviews on amazon by people who were frustrated by the lack of detail for one type of vegetable or another. Personally, I was just thrilled to find a single book laying the foundations out more clearly.… (más)