Soil Science for Gardeners

Soil Science for Gardeners PDF Author: Robert Pavlis
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 155092723X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book

Book Description
Build healthy soil and grow better plants Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook. Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem. Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere – the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health. Coverage includes: Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil's fertility and plant nutrients The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame. Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.

Soil Science for Gardeners

Soil Science for Gardeners PDF Author: Robert Pavlis
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 155092723X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book

Book Description
Build healthy soil and grow better plants Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook. Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem. Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere – the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health. Coverage includes: Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil's fertility and plant nutrients The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame. Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.

Sustainable Market Farming

Sustainable Market Farming PDF Author: Pam Dawling
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1550925121
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 459

Get Book

Book Description
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.

Grow Your Soil!

Grow Your Soil! PDF Author: Diane Miessler
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 1635862078
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Get Book

Book Description
Growing awareness of the importance of soil health means that microbes are on the minds of even the most casual gardeners. After all, anyone who has ever attempted to plant a thriving patch of flowers or vegetables knows that what you grow is only as good as the soil you grow it in. It is possible to create and maintain rich, dark, crumbly soil that’s teeming with life, using very few inputs and a no-till, no-fertilizer approach. Certified permaculture designer and lifelong gardener Diane Miessler presents the science of soil health in an engaging, entertaining voice geared for the backyard grower. She shares the techniques she has used — including cover crops, constant mulching, and a simple-but-supercharged recipe for compost tea — to transform her own landscape from a roadside dump for broken asphalt to a garden that stops traffic, starting from the ground up.

Garden Myths

Garden Myths PDF Author: Robert Pavlis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781542465229
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Get Book

Book Description
Garden Myths examines over 120 horticultural urban legends. Turning wisdom on its head, Robert Pavlis dives deep into traditional garden advice and debunks the myths and misconceptions that abound. He asks critical questions and uses science-based information to understand plants and their environment. Armed with the truth, Robert then turns this knowledge into easy-to-follow advice. - Is fall the best time to clean the garden? - Do bloom boosters work?- Will citronella plants reduce mosquitoes in the garden?- Do pine needles acidify soil?- Should tomatoes be suckered?- Should trees be staked at planting time? - Can burlap keep your trees warm in winter?- Will a pebble tray increase humidity for houseplants? "Garden Myths is a must-read for anyone who wants to use environmentally sound practices. This fascinating and informative book will help you understand plants better, reduce unnecessary work, convince you to buy fewer products and help you enjoy gardening more."

Teaming with Microbes

Teaming with Microbes PDF Author: Wayne Lewis
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604692545
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Get Book

Book Description
Healthy soil teems with life—not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. Chemical fertilizers injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and the soil becomes increasingly dependent on artificial, often toxic, substances. But there is an alternative: by strengthening the soil food web—the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms—gardeners can create a nurturing environment for plants. Teaming with Microbes extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web. It clearly explains the activities and organisms that make up the web, and explains how gardeners can cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost, mulches, and compost tea. With Jeff Lowenfels’ help, everyone—from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants—can create rich, nurturing, living soil.

Plant Partners

Plant Partners PDF Author: Jessica Walliser
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 1635861330
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Get Book

Book Description
Companion planting has a long history of use by gardeners, but the explanation of why it works has been filled with folklore and conjecture. Plant Partners delivers a research-based rationale for this ever-popular growing technique, offering dozens of ways you can use scientifically tested plant partnerships to benefit your whole garden. Through an enhanced understanding of how plants interact with and influence each other, this guide suggests specific plant combinations that improve soil health and weed control, decrease pest damage, and increase biodiversity, resulting in real and measurable impacts in the garden.

Regenerative Soil

Regenerative Soil PDF Author: Matt Powers
Publisher: Permaculturepowers123
ISBN: 9781732187894
Category : Agricultural ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Get Book

Book Description
Get down to the individual microbe, enzyme, and ion & learn to partner with your soil micro to macro for incredible plants, yields, nutrition, and increasingly better soil every year! This is the book for you if you are looking for clear recipes, visual science, the chemistry, the biology, and the bridges connecting them all. If you have ever wondered what is really going on in the soil and are searching for solutions, this is the book for you.

Building Soils Naturally

Building Soils Naturally PDF Author: Phil Nauta
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781601730336
Category : Garden soils
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
Outlines proven, sustainable methods for growing healthy food and plants that contribute to a healthy planet and a healthy you. Grow vigorous, more pest-resistant vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants by using complete and balanced nutrients -- far beyond the simplistic, imbalanced concept of NPK. Healthy soil doesn't happen just by composting, fertilizing or companion planting. It happens by using a holistic approach -- outlined in this book and crafted right in your garden.

Gardening for Geeks

Gardening for Geeks PDF Author: Christy Wilhelmi
Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
ISBN: 9781620083581
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Get Book

Book Description
Gardening for Geeks is the ultimate organic gardening resource for any grower, providing them with everything they need to know about designing, building, and sustaining their garden. Filled with step-by-step processes, helpful diagrams, and expert tips on the best practices, author Christy Wilhelmi breaks down the biology and ecology of gardening in a breezy writing style and covers it all for anyone who dreams of gardening, even the city dweller.

The Intelligent Gardener

The Intelligent Gardener PDF Author: Steve Solomon
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 0865717184
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 339

Get Book

Book Description
Presents advice on how to improve growing soil, discussing some of the current misconceptions about soil and providing the best methods for adding enhancements that will produce nutrient-dense foods.