Floret Farm’s
Bloom to Seed
Growing, Harvesting, and Saving Seeds for Beautiful Blooms
Packed with invaluable gardening wisdom and stunning photography, Bloom to Seed is the definitive guide on flower seed saving: the practice of collecting, cleaning, and storing seeds for the future. Drawing on years of trials and careful research conducted at Floret, Erin and her team demystify the process of saving seeds from a diverse range of flowers.
This book presents complex topics in a manner that is both approachable enough for first-time seed savers and detailed enough for professional growers, breaking intimidating techniques down into easy-to-follow steps using a few basic supplies. Equal parts beautiful and useful, this essential guide invites you to discover the hidden magic of flowers and deepen your relationship with the natural world, all while learning the timeless art of saving seeds.
Now available to pre-order from booksellers everywhere.
Making Bloom to Seed
The Process Of Writing & Photographing The Book
Purchase Bloom to Seed
Pre-Order the Book from Your Local Bookstore or Any of the Retailers Below
Book Features
A closer look at what makes Bloom to Seed special
All Skill Levels
Success no matter the scale
This book meets readers wherever they are on their seed-saving journey. In its pages, you’ll find helpful information for any scale, from home gardeners wanting to try their hand at saving seed from just a few plants in their backyard all the way to small-scale farmers growing seed for sale.
Detailed Plant Profiles
Learn to save seed from 50 popular flower varieties
In each variety profile, you’ll learn what ripe seed looks like and when it’s ready to pick, along with the best technique for harvesting, drying, threshing, and cleaning it. Each profile includes instructions for both gardeners and farmers.
Beautiful Photography
Compelling & detailed images
Chris’s photographs are a delicate balance of detailed, visual instruction and rich, compelling imagery that give readers a window into another world. They both teach and inspire and are the heart and soul of Bloom to Seed.
Down-to-Earth Text
Learn like an apprentice
There is very little published information on the topic of seed saving, and what exists is industry specific and filled with technical terms. Bloom to Seed is written in a down-to-earth, conversational tone. Visual instruction and a friendly teaching style offer readers an apprenticeship in seed saving.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Clear, illustrated steps for every process
Techniques for harvesting, drying, threshing, and cleaning seeds are taught through a pairing of thorough written instruction and detailed photos. Whether you’re a written or a visual learner, you’ll find seed-saving success in the way you learn best.
No Special Equipment Required
Save seeds with a few basic supplies
You don’t need anything fancy to start saving seeds. The simple, inexpensive supplies are easy to find and you likely have most of them on hand. If you’re growing and cleaning seeds on a larger scale, the book suggests some helpful tools to make the process more efficient.
Bonus Material
Additional profiles & planning tools
With your purchase of Bloom to Seed, you’ll receive a suite of extra resources to help you on your seed-saving journey, including the 13 bonus flower variety profiles that didn’t make it into the book, helpful tools for planning your seed garden and harvest, and instructions for making a homemade seed cleaner.
Chapters At-a-Glance
What’s included in this comprehensive book
Chapter 1
Growing Flowers for Seed
This chapter explores the differences between growing cut flowers and growing for seed, including how to space and support plants throughout their full life cycle and how to deter weeds, pests, and disease, plus ways to learn about your garden through observation and simple note taking.
Chapter 2
Special Considerations
This chapter introduces concepts like plant relationships, the important role pollinators play, and strategies to keep your seeds coming back true to type, including isolation and roguing. It also includes an inspiring introduction to the world of flower breeding.
Chapter 3
Harvesting
This chapter invites you to see your garden through new eyes, using detailed photography and descriptive explanations to help you identify ripe seed and know when it is ready to harvest. It includes step-by-step instructions for harvesting seedpods, seed heads, branches, and whole plants.
Chapter 4
Drying
This chapter explains the best conditions and methods for drying seeds, including how to set up a drying space using basic and inexpensive supplies, and provides detailed instructions for drying different types of flower varieties, from a handful of seedpods to entire plants.
Chapter 5
Threshing
Using step-by-step tutorials, this chapter illustrates ways to easily separate ripe seeds from their pods, heads, or stems through a process called threshing. It details the best methods for each type of flower using simple techniques and basic supplies.
Chapter 6
Cleaning
This chapter presents the seed-cleaning process in an approachable, down-to-earth way, including detailed instructions for using different types of screens, a fan, or your breath to easily remove dried plant material and debris from your seed based on the variety, the scale, and the end use.
Chapter 7
Storing & Sharing the Harvest
This chapter discusses techniques to safely store your seeds long-term and explains how to conduct an at-home germination test for viability, how to easily calculate your flower seed yield, and how to pack seed packets efficiently. It also suggests ways to share your harvest and things to consider if you want to sell your seed.
Chapter 8
Plant Profiles
This chapter explores how to save seeds from 50 popular flower varieties. Each profile includes a detailed description, beautiful photographs, and clear, step-by-step instructions for harvesting, drying, threshing, and cleaning seed on both home garden and small farm scales.
Resources
Tools, Supplies & Resources
This section features our favorite seed-saving tools and supplies that we use here on the farm, including organic products for pests and disease, seed packets, pollinators, insect netting, seed-cleaning screens, and more.
Explore the Magic of Seeds
Take a Peek Inside the Pages of Bloom to Seed
Easy-to-follow text is packed with expert advice and how-to images that guide readers through each step of the process—growing, harvesting, drying, threshing, cleaning, and storing seeds—along with detailed information on how to save seeds for 50 popular flower varieties. Equal parts beautiful and useful, this essential guide invites you to discover the hidden magic of flowers and deepen your relationship with the natural world.
“Erin won a Martha Stewart American Made award for floral design in 2014. We have been friends ever since, and I have followed her career and the amazing trajectory of her flower and seed business. This book follows and teaches very, very important skills that must exist in every serious gardener’s personality: patience and attention to detail. I learned this from my dad: He was a most impatient man away from his garden and plants, yet he changed exponentially when surrounded by his garden, which he tended alone. He grew incredible specimens of fruits and vegetables and shrubs, and as a result, I know what it takes to be Erin and to accomplish what she has in such a short period of time. This book is extraordinary and deserves a place in every gardener’s library.”
Martha Stewart
Bloom to Seed Flower Profiles
Learn how to save seed for 50 popular flower varieties
Free Bonus Materials
Available Exclusively with Your Purchase of Bloom to Seed
As a thank-you gift for purchasing Bloom to Seed, this special bonus material contains a suite of additional resources, including 13 bonus flower variety profiles, helpful tools for planning your seed garden and harvest, and instructions for making a homemade seed cleaner.
- Quick Reference Sheet: This invaluable resource includes the isolation distance needed to ensure that seeds come back true to type, the number of weeks from bloom to seed, and the average number of seeds per plant for more than 65 flower varieties, as well as the average 1,000-seed weight for every flower profiled to help you accurately calculate your seed yield.
- Bonus Flower Profiles: These 13 additional variety profiles did not fit within the pages of Bloom to Seed, but they are too good not to share. Our hope is that they will inspire you to add these special treasures to your garden in the future.
- Instructions for Making a Homemade Seed Cleaner: This resource includes a supply list and step-by-step instructions for making a homemade winnower using basic supplies that you can get locally. This winnower is a simple and effective tool for cleaning seed on any scale, from home gardeners all the way to professional growers.
How to Claim Your Gift
Frequently Asked Questions
- When will Bloom to Seed be available?
The book is scheduled to be published February 23, 2027. You can pre-order now through your favorite bookseller or the Floret Shop. We’ll be offering signed copies with a special gift while quantities last.
- Where can I pre-order the book?
The book is available for pre-order through the Floret Shop as well as Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.
- Will signed copies be available?
Yes! We will be offering signed copies through the Floret Shop while quantities last.
- How do I get copies of the book to sell in my shop?
To stock the book in the U.S., please contact: [email protected]. For all other countries, please contact: [email protected].
- Is Bloom to Seed available internationally?
The book is available from several international booksellers. Please see the list of online retailers in the “Purchase Bloom to Seed” area below.
- Who is this book for?
Bloom to Seed was written primarily with home gardeners in mind, but it’s equally valuable for flower farmers, teachers, and anyone curious about where seeds come from. If you’ve ever wanted to save seed from your garden or farm but weren’t sure where to start, this book is for you.
- Is Erin available to do a book signing or speak to my garden club or group?
At this time, Erin is not available for events or speaking engagements. Please email [email protected] with any press requests.
“Erin and her horticultural and trials team at Floret are a group after my own heart. The combination of beauty, abundance, and meticulous care is inspiring. Here, they record their hard-won experience and practices to maximize easy seed production, giving any gardener or cut flower grower/producer a truly invaluable resource. Bravo!”
Sarah Raven
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