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Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition Review

I've read too many books on composting. I've studied biodynamics, permaculture, organic - trying to find a coherent system that makes sense to me. Seems like lots of things work, from lasagna gardening to double-digging - in some places. But not others. Compost happens: But not always.

Starting out fresh on a new-to-me 10 acre farm this year, I've been struggling to find a coherent approach that minimizes the years of experimentation typically recommended. Confronted with sandy loam, I expected to be adding - literally - tons of compost and lime per acre over the next few years. My back and my purse are grateful to "Teaming with Microbes" for showing me that there are better/cheaper ways that are equally/more effective. I still will need compost and lime - but I don't expect to need tons of each now. Instead, I'm investing some of that money in a compost tea brewer - it's much easier to spray on compost tea than it is to spread tons of compost. By combining techniques I know now how to improve the texture of my soil (hint, simply tilling in cover crops isn't enough, esp. if your soil is already depleted.)

This book pulls it all together by explaining fundamental soil science - thus incidentally explaining why millions of "wacky" claims about rehabilitation of soil have proven effective through the years.

It's excellent, it's straight-forward and easy, and when you finish you'll have no doubts left about the most efficient way to proceed with your project. As for me, reading about all of those hungry microbes left me hungry for more information and I've gone on to the source - Dr. Elaine Ingham. She has some amazing (and readable) books and CDs out there that will really knock your socks off.

And you'll never waste a nutrient again. (I even rinsed my molasses bottle and used the water for my shrubs. Potent nutrients!)

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition Feature

ISBN13: 9781604691139
Condition: New
Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition Overview

Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

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Customer Reviews

gardening at its best - p.weber -
very informative.Couldn't do without it.I find gardening much more meaningful now.It gives gardening a whole ,new meaning.

Understanding - Ds Realm -
Again this is a book that should be in every gardeners library, I finely understand what is going on down there in the dirt/soil.A must have book.

Good Garden Soil book - Peter H. Johnson - Doylestown PA USA
I'm a longtime gardener (and writer/editor), and this book was recently recommended to me by Art Wolk, a gardening author and longtime award-winning exhibitor at the Philadelphia Flower Show. I have a few other more academic tomes on this subject, but I recalled Jeff Lowenfels's name from my time at several gardening mags in the 1980s (House Plants & Porch Gardens [long defunct] and Organic Gardening), and Art was enthusiastic, so it looked like a good bet. It's a good introduction to what we know about soil life and fertility, written in accessible language for normal people, and it's chockful of color photomicrographs of the little critters. Published by Timber Press, a high-quality outfit. Go for it.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 29, 2010 16:22:05

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Sunday, August 29, 2010