Living soil, an ally for cultivation

Healthy soil teems with life – not just worms and insects, but a staggering amount of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.

Good gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance.

Healthy soil teems with life—not just worms and insects, but a staggering number of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we damage the microbial life that normally sustains plants. At the same time, we become increasingly dependent on a whole arsenal of artificial substances, many of which are toxic to humans and other life forms. But there is an alternative: gardening to strengthen the soil and its food web, this fragile and complex network of living organisms whose interactions create a favorable environment for plants.

In this clear and concise book, which avoids jargon and overly technical terms, you will become acquainted with the various organisms that make up the soil food web. You will learn how to maintain and regenerate it to optimize soil quality through the use of compost, compost tea, and mulch, and which solutions to favor depending on the composition of your garden (lawn, vegetable garden, trees and shrubs, perennials and annuals, etc.).

In short, if you want to grow vigorous and healthy plants while cultivating your garden without using chemicals, this book is for you.

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Authors: Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Publisher: Rouergue
Publication date: 2016
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-2-8126-1036-3
Language: French