Grow Your Soil!: Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever
- Downloads：1515
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-30 09:54:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Diane Miessler
- ISBN：1635862078
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
Reviews
Mrs Lee E Saul
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Great bookPacked with lots of knowledge and how to to get your soil healthy and stay healthy。 Worth the read easy。
Joseph
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Great book for gardeners especially for new gardeners。 It's four stars because she repeats herself alot in the book。 Great book for gardeners especially for new gardeners。 It's four stars because she repeats herself alot in the book。 。。。more
Sara
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I loved this book！ I am not a gardener。 I love nature and plants and veggies， and am looking forward to the day I own a house and can create a beautiful， thriving soil food web。 The way Diane describes everything in this book didn’t bore me with the science; she made every part of gardening fun and enjoyable。 While it will take me quite some time to be able to implement everything discussed here， I’m excited to start stepping into the gardening world where/how I can。 For now， I’ll work on compos I loved this book！ I am not a gardener。 I love nature and plants and veggies， and am looking forward to the day I own a house and can create a beautiful， thriving soil food web。 The way Diane describes everything in this book didn’t bore me with the science; she made every part of gardening fun and enjoyable。 While it will take me quite some time to be able to implement everything discussed here， I’m excited to start stepping into the gardening world where/how I can。 For now， I’ll work on composting。 :） She breaks processes down into digestible information， and knows when to be more heavily-detailed or keep things general。 It was a great read at every turn！ Highly recommend for anyone who adores what nature provides for us， and the ways we can sustainably steward the world。 5/5！ 。。。more
Cate
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Wonderful book！ Encouraging， easy to understand， great book for reference。 Love it， need my own copy now。
Gregory Butera
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This is a clever and funny take on the science behind good soil in your garden。 If you want to understand how to better support your veggies， fruits and flowers and learn about how to build soil by making and using compost， and like a good chuckle or two， this is the book to read。
Sbjs
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Lots of stuff I already knew but some new stuff， too！ Inspiring！
Jasen
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A little basic for anyone whose ever put seeds in the ground and had a compost pile previously。 My son enjoying some of the chapters as I needed some justification why we couldn’t dig in the wet winter saturated soil quite yet。
Kristin
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Very basic。 Too basic。
Angie Carter
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Some good advice， some bad advice。 Anecdotal info， not a science based book。 More of a "this is what I do" book。 Disappointing。 Some good advice， some bad advice。 Anecdotal info， not a science based book。 More of a "this is what I do" book。 Disappointing。 。。。more
Erica
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Didn't get past page 3 with this one。 Couldn't take the singsongy folksiness and seeming lack of organization。 Perhaps it gets better！ Didn't get past page 3 with this one。 Couldn't take the singsongy folksiness and seeming lack of organization。 Perhaps it gets better！ 。。。more
Julietta Watson
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Some great recipes for the organic gardener - and a few tips that I didn't know about。 Good read。 Some great recipes for the organic gardener - and a few tips that I didn't know about。 Good read。 。。。more
Rhonda
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A wonderful guide for a beginning gardener。 I had no idea soil was so alive and complex。。。。or that enriching it could be so simple。 Diane had a playful approach to her book that made it a real pleasure to read。 I'm already applying her techniques to my garden。 Wish me luck！ A wonderful guide for a beginning gardener。 I had no idea soil was so alive and complex。。。。or that enriching it could be so simple。 Diane had a playful approach to her book that made it a real pleasure to read。 I'm already applying her techniques to my garden。 Wish me luck！ 。。。more
Nolsen Boltrun
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fun read。 sometimes repetitive but if it werent for it， i'd probably forget a lot of stuff B） fun read。 sometimes repetitive but if it werent for it， i'd probably forget a lot of stuff B） 。。。more
Jon
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I feel like I know my dirt much better than before！
Kyle Milbrand
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Really sensible advice that you can put into practice immediately。
Trent Thompson
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Good primer on cultivating healthy garden soil。
Lana Seaver
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A very informative， easy to read， book about improving the soil in your garden。 I enjoyed it， and learned some things of what to do and not to do。
Bonnie Thompson
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This is by far the most fun gardening book I have ever read！ Miessler makes soil science come alive and will have you running out to the nearest patch of earth to sink your bare hands in and finding a whole new world。 Happy gardening！
Kim
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Engaging to read， great design， delightful illustrations involving worms， and best of all， I learned stuff I didn't know！ I have so many new ideas for how to sustainably take care of my little plot of land。。。 and make it beautiful。 Cover crops， cardboard， compost that isn't stinky， puttering， soil food web diversity， mycorrizhea， worm bins for kitchen scraps。 I have so many dog-eared pages and so much gardening to do。 Engaging to read， great design， delightful illustrations involving worms， and best of all， I learned stuff I didn't know！ I have so many new ideas for how to sustainably take care of my little plot of land。。。 and make it beautiful。 Cover crops， cardboard， compost that isn't stinky， puttering， soil food web diversity， mycorrizhea， worm bins for kitchen scraps。 I have so many dog-eared pages and so much gardening to do。 。。。more
Sarah Price
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This is a brilliant book。I am quite new to the enjoyment of gardening but as I own my own home now the last couple of years have been hearing up to enjoying researching about what's best where etc。It's a great book for explaining what different textures of soils mean and how to treat it and what thrives in each type of soil。This has been brilliant for me because I am a complete novice when it comes to plants etc。 This is a brilliant book。I am quite new to the enjoyment of gardening but as I own my own home now the last couple of years have been hearing up to enjoying researching about what's best where etc。It's a great book for explaining what different textures of soils mean and how to treat it and what thrives in each type of soil。This has been brilliant for me because I am a complete novice when it comes to plants etc。 。。。more
Cindy Black
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An inspiring book that taught me about how soil microbes work - thank you Diane for clarifying this complex topic。 I've been in the garden my whole life， now I am in the soil。。。already making changes， some big， some small， that are helping the plants and microbes grow - yay！ An inspiring book that taught me about how soil microbes work - thank you Diane for clarifying this complex topic。 I've been in the garden my whole life， now I am in the soil。。。already making changes， some big， some small， that are helping the plants and microbes grow - yay！ 。。。more
Jan Swaren
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This is an amazing read。 I had two great novels come in the mail at the same time but I couldn't put "Grow Your Soil" down。 I am a beginner gardener and this book instantly changed my relationship to the soil， the mulch in the area， weeds， and insects。 Diane Miessler's writing style is humourous and fun and very encouraging。 I really can't say enough。 Thanks so much for writing and publishing this book！ This is an amazing read。 I had two great novels come in the mail at the same time but I couldn't put "Grow Your Soil" down。 I am a beginner gardener and this book instantly changed my relationship to the soil， the mulch in the area， weeds， and insects。 Diane Miessler's writing style is humourous and fun and very encouraging。 I really can't say enough。 Thanks so much for writing and publishing this book！ 。。。more
Terri
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This was super repetitive with some sentences showing up in the same paragraph。
Jolene Yaksich
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Wonderful book with great information for all types of gardeners。 I loved learning about the different micro and macro organisms that live in the soil。
Janis Hill
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I would like to thank Storey Publishing for providing me with a free – temporary – electronic ARC of this book， via Netgalley。 Although I required their approval， the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free。This is another book I read recently， so yay me！ I’m back！‘Grow your own soil’ was a very entertaining and inspiring book on how we can all do our own bit in helping create soil from dirt， and then keep it healthy。 As healthy soil creates healthy food I would like to thank Storey Publishing for providing me with a free – temporary – electronic ARC of this book， via Netgalley。 Although I required their approval， the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free。This is another book I read recently， so yay me！ I’m back！‘Grow your own soil’ was a very entertaining and inspiring book on how we can all do our own bit in helping create soil from dirt， and then keep it healthy。 As healthy soil creates healthy food， that feeds healthy people。Now， I may have enjoyed this book simply as I’m someone interested soil and all the microbes and bacteria involved in keeping it healthy。 I grew up knowing about soil bacteria as we had a bacterium in our soil that could kill a person。 Being the kind of person I am， rather than be scared by it， I became fascinated in soil bacteria and how it’s a vital part of our lives – just like our own gut bacteria。So， of course， this was a book I was hoping to enjoy。 The nice surprise is that it wasn’t the stale text book I was expecting it to be。 It was silly of me to think that Storey Publishing would create a stale， aesthetic， text book and so I apologise。‘Grow your own soil’ is an informative book wrote in a semi-casual tone that helps share the author’s passion for the subject with the reader。 It keeps the reader entertained and interested， while also learning a lot。 I do want to emphasise that， despite the casual tone， it is still a serious and interesting book to read。 Think of it as being more like having a chat with someone， via a book， than a severe reference book on facts alone。I also enjoyed the simplistic art scattered through the book。 It wasn’t in your face， distracting from the information being shared。 Instead it was complimentary to it， really making the book more attractive to read。 It filled in the white gaps that would be blank pages， transforming a reference book into a more （pardon the pun） down to earth helpful guide to bettering our lives through bettering the soil。 I mean， is it just me who wanted to go look at the dirt in my yard， and try and make it become soil？ It’s autumn here， so mulching my gardening for the winter is already on my mind… now “building my own house” of soil is more on my mind。 So， thank you。Book nerd side of things: As I’ve already touched upon， the layout and formatting of ‘Grow your own soil’ was good。 To be a snob， it was the usual high standard I’ve come to expect from Storey Publishing。 The light hearted， but honestly enthusiastic， voice of the author really shows even in the layout and formatting。 It makes it a more compelling read。Would I recommend this book to others？Yes I would。 For people who are interested in taking back control of what is in their soil – and therefore in the food they grow – are going to love reading ‘Grow your own soil’。 People passionate about a simpler， low waste， low “nasty” chemical life with a garden of their own are going to enjoy this book。 Basically， people like me are going to enjoy this book。 ;-）Would I buy this book myself？Yes I would， but as a paper version。 I don’t know why， I just feel owning it in a paper copy to move even more away from the artificial （technology） to the plain and basic life。 But I’m weird。 And， at the time of my review， I feel that both the electronic and paper versions on Amazon Australia are reasonably priced for what our exchange rate is currently at。In summary: An excellent book to help you turn your dirt into soil。 。。。more
Jonathan
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I have been leisurely studying soil science for the past couple years and was naturally interested in Grow Your Soil！ by Diane Miessler。 I have read books， articles， and watched presentations by well renowned soil advocates such as Jeff Lowenfels and Elaine Ingham， among others。 When I first started reading Grow Your Soil！， my impression was that it was written for an audience with limited experience on the subject。 As I continued to read， I found that I really enjoyed the content and Diane's st I have been leisurely studying soil science for the past couple years and was naturally interested in Grow Your Soil！ by Diane Miessler。 I have read books， articles， and watched presentations by well renowned soil advocates such as Jeff Lowenfels and Elaine Ingham， among others。 When I first started reading Grow Your Soil！， my impression was that it was written for an audience with limited experience on the subject。 As I continued to read， I found that I really enjoyed the content and Diane's style of writing。 I do believe this would be best as an introduction to soil science， but Diane covers a wide range of topics which may not have been covered in other reading material。 I was surprised to find chapters on various forms of composting， making teas， cover crops and green mulch， setting up garden beds， and garden maintenance。 The chapters covering more science based topics such as the soil food web， cation exchange， and photosynthesis are written in a way that makes it easy to understand and entertaining。 I would recommend this book for anyone that is interested in gardening and soil science and even those who are more familiar with the topic but enjoy reading。 Thank you NetGalley， Diane， and Story Publishing for the opportunity to enjoy this advanced reader copy！ 。。。more
Scott Lupo
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Fun book to read。。。about soil！ I garnered at least two nuggets of wisdom: biochar and composting in your garden。 I had never heard of biochar before reading this book but understand it now as something similar to vermiculite or perlite。 It helps to aerate the soil and keep it moist。 The composting within your garden is a great idea versus throwing everything in the composting bins。 This is especially true at the end of the season。 Pull and lay down。 Pull and lay down。 I like this concept， especi Fun book to read。。。about soil！ I garnered at least two nuggets of wisdom: biochar and composting in your garden。 I had never heard of biochar before reading this book but understand it now as something similar to vermiculite or perlite。 It helps to aerate the soil and keep it moist。 The composting within your garden is a great idea versus throwing everything in the composting bins。 This is especially true at the end of the season。 Pull and lay down。 Pull and lay down。 I like this concept， especially for weeding。 Then add a layer of mulch on top and you are composting in your garden。 This year I will try cover crops too as a way to add organic matter to my soil。 And， of course， a worm farm！ With the weather warming up， I feel the garden bug biting and cannot wait to get started this year。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Loved this gardening book for incredible information， delivered with wit。 It all starts with the soil， feed the soil to feed the plants。 Filled great illustrations。 Inspirational and topical。 A book for all gardeners。
Annarella
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This is an excellent gardening book。 It mixes science with hints and it's useful for anyone interested in gardening。Strongly recommended， it's a useful and interesting book。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 This is an excellent gardening book。 It mixes science with hints and it's useful for anyone interested in gardening。Strongly recommended， it's a useful and interesting book。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 。。。more
Annie
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