3 comments about The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers.

1. Very informative book but it is a little technical for home garderner.



2. The Soul of Soil

   The Soul of Soil

   Understanding our soil is essential to successful gardening and farming, as well as to building a sustainable future for the planet. Grace Gershuny and Joe Smillie have devoted decades to unlocking the secrets of this mysterious and often maligned substance and they share their wisdom with us here. Includes descriptions of the major soil types, nutrient cycles and physical properties of soil, as well as lessons on composting and cover cropping. This book gives us the tools we need to understand the complex interactions that take place below our feet as we work to turn the tide against the erosion, pollution and outright destruction of our precious earth.




3. This is truly a good book. It is short, simply written, and very informative. However, it is a little technical for the average Gardner. I personally picked-up this book to gain general knowledge about soil, and I found everything I asked for and more. Nevertheless, there were things that I felt were not explained enough, but that's not the fault of the author because I am neither a master gardner nor a farmer. In the begging of the book it almost seemed like the author was one of the environmentalist extremists, however as I continued reading I found the author to be a responsible writer with no extremism. As a matter of fact, on several occasions the author offered advise to non-organic farmers. Overall, a great book and coming from my non-farmer background I would give it 4 stars.

No comments about Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Microbiological and Biochemical Properties (Soil Science Society of America Book, No 5).

1 comments about Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guide to Soil and Composting: The Complete Guide to Building Healthy, Fertile Soil (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides).

1. This book is in the Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides series of books. Like most books in this series, it is easy to read and understand. While it touches upon some of the science behind why good soil is important, it doesn't bore the average gardener with laborious explanations. It quickly gets to what most gardeners want to know, that is what to do to improve your soil's quality and have healthier plants.

   Before you start a new garden it is important to understand the characteristics of your soil and what actions you need to take before you start planting. This book will provide the weekend gardener with all the guidance they need to build healthy soil in their garden. I highly recommend you read this book before you start planting your new garden.

2 comments about Gardening Success with Difficult Soils: Limestone, Alkaline Clay, and Caliche Soils.

1. This is the most practical, useful, and enjoyable book on gardening that someone in the Texas Hill Country could ever want! It's not as big or comprehensive as the Wasowskis' "Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region", but that's because it focuses on the challenges of gardening in these "difficult" (nice word!) soils that we live with. Ogden's observations and advice about dealing with our limestone and caliche, and his reality-based recommendations of plants to use and the ones to avoid, gave me hope, encouragement, and new ideas for making this corner of the world a more beautiful place! It's got some great color photos, too.



2. Dry limestone based soils such as the Edwards Plateau area of Texas and other places in the southwest, provide a major challenge to gardening which is addessed in this book. In such areas many plants simply will not grow well. Trying to get them to do so is an exercise in frustration and general garden books can lead you far astray. This book is not about how to try to change your soil, high pH soils cannot be effectively acidified. The book is about plants, trees, shrubs and varieties that do well in dry calcarious soil conditions. It will save you a lot of time, money and frustration if you face these conditions. A great book, a gold mine of information.

1 comments about Gardener's Guide to Better Soil.

1. If you're seriously into gardening organically (the real organic
   gardening where you care for the soil rather than just
   dumping on organic fertilizer instead of chemical
   fertilizer) - I recommend this book; I learned a lot. It covers
   different types of soils and what to so with them, additives
   and green manures, cultivation; it's very readable. It's a bit
   dated-looking but the information is sound. It spends more
   time than I'd like suggesting how to identify good land
   before you buy it.

3 comments about Gardening in Clay Soil: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-140 (Storey Publishing Bulletin ; a-140).

1. This small, easy to read pamphlet lays out the exact how to's and what not to do working with clay soil. Clay soil can be so frustrating to work with but with the help of this book I feel that I can be much more successful in improving my soil thereby enjoying greater success in my gardening.



2. Don't waste even the $4 for this pamphlet unless you are a complete idiot. Let's see - the best way to deal with clay soil is to cover it with over a foot of good quality top soil (at major expense). Gee - I never would have thought of that! I'm surprised that moving to an area with better soil wasn't a suggestion as well.



3. I was not sure about these Storey County pamphlets, since they obviously enjoy a high profit margin despite their lower cost. But I haven't been able to reproduce this information on clay soils after looking in several longer texts.

No comments about Improving Your Soil: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-202 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-202).

2 comments about Secrets to Great Soil (Storey's Gardening Skills Illustrated).

1. I went to the library today to see if they had anything new. I've read about every book our small library has which pertains to gardening. Out of the corner of my eye I happened upon "Secrets to Great Soil." It looked interesting; I checked it out. I am now here at amazon.com to purchase this book. I've been organic gardening for 25 years and in all these many years have not found a book which thoroughly lists organic, inorganic, and synthetic fertilizers in a format which is easy to discern. It is easy to read for anyone, regardless the experience. Both novice and advanced gardeners will enjoy this journey of soil science along with the explanation. I am deeply moved by all the work which went into this highly recommended publication.



2. Simply a marvelous book that is so easy to use. Addresses many questions the gardener may ask about soil nutrition, structure, pH level and how to adjust them. I have been a gardener for thirty five years but questions about soil and what to do to make the best of a particular situation arise still. This book has become a wonderful resource for me. Chaptered and indexed for easy accessibility. Very thorough in its information for both organic and formulated solutions. Highly recommend.

5 comments about Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web.

1. Finally, a REAL organic gardening book. Wish I had written it. It's an easy read; I feared that it might be an academic study. Great pictures. I only skipped chapter 13 on doing a soil census. I wished the author had addressed the roles of irrigation, mineral supplements, and organic fertilizers in increasing crop/fruit productivity. I'm not nitpicking about the author's chemistry. Excellent Book!



2. Despite the short length of this book, it was packed with lots of good information and was easy to read. It brought to my attention aspects of fungi versus microbial activity that I was never aware of and how these affect soil quality for gardens versus shrubs. The book has had an immediate payback for me, as I am a novice composter and now know how to do that better. It also described compost teas which I was only vaguely familiar with. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening in an earth-friendly way or to those who have relied solely on inorganic fertilizers and need to learn their true effects.



3. I love this book! I raise red wiggler worms and lecture on worms and composting. This book has added to my interest and fascination with worms and now with worm/compost tea. I will use it as part of my lectures and recommend it in my classes and lectures.



4. A beautifully written book. This book is simple and highly informative. It is a must read for everybody who is interested in organic gardening. Once you have read the book you will have a deep appreciation and understanding of soil.



5. This is a detailed description of organisms in the soil, what kind you need for different types of plants, and how to get and keep them. It explains why organic gardening is more efficient, and eventually an easier way to grow. It is well written and informative.

5 comments about Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides).

1. Great book for those who have a compost system going. We are on Cape Cod and recycle everything! This book tells us how to compost everything.



2. Composting, in case you aren't terribly familiar with it yet, is simply the practice of allowing waste matter to rot and decompose until it's fit to be tilled right into the soil. However, while the basic concept is as old as mother nature and often very easy to execute, it also helps to know more about it. What materials should you compost, and which should you avoid? Do you have to worry about animals or flies in your compost? How do you make sure your compost will turn into dirt and not a slimy, stinky sludge?
   
   While nearly every gardening book these days has a section on composting and most of these are enough to get you by, Stu Campbell's Let It Rot! is an entertaining, folksy and in-depth take on the art that will see you through nearly any foreseeable difficulty. I was certainly able to successfully compost with the simpler directions in other books, but there's information in here I wish I'd had back when I first started. For instance, now I know the cobweb-like stuff that I feared was mold was the natural activity of Actinomycetes, a part-bacteria, part-fungus organism that aids decomposition in certain parts of a compost pile.
   
   Mr. Campbell's book also introduces a great many different types of compost piles and composters that you can use, depending on what you're trying to accomplish, what area you have to work with, or what you're trying to decompose. He also suggests many ways to use compost in and around your garden, and how to get the most out of it. I'm glad I picked up Mr. Campbell's book, because I learned an incredible amount of new material!



3. I bought this for my husband as he went crazy on composting. I read it as well. And it provided more info. A must read for anyone wanting to start or even seasoned rotters. Good book to leave on the table gets lots of funny looks



4. This book is a quick crash course on composting. I learned things about composting that I never new before. The other great thing, it is an easy to read book! Totally satisfied!



5. I have never tried composting before, so I wanted the big picture. I researched online and this seems to be the undisputed classic book on the subject. It seems to tell ALL you need to know to manage your composting, and in as few words as possible.