One of the most important things a gardener can do is to build up the soil in her garden. But keep in mind that soil-building is not a one-time operation - it's a process. As humus is devoured by microorganisms, worms, and plants, more organic material must constantly be added in order to keep the soil biomass, and thereby the plants, well-fed and happy. Also, humus makes the soil porous and fluffy, builds a strong soil structure, and releases nutrients in a form that's easily absorbed by plant roots.Chemical fertilizers ...
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One of the most important things a gardener can do is to build up the soil in her garden. But keep in mind that soil-building is not a one-time operation - it's a process. As humus is devoured by microorganisms, worms, and plants, more organic material must constantly be added in order to keep the soil biomass, and thereby the plants, well-fed and happy. Also, humus makes the soil porous and fluffy, builds a strong soil structure, and releases nutrients in a form that's easily absorbed by plant roots.Chemical fertilizers will not add humus to the soil. These are merely nutritional supplements; plants and their soil need real food - organic material.You can increase soil fertility with a minimum of effort, and you don't need to buy a lot of things -- just use fallen leaves and grass clippings as the base of your soil fertility. This book covers earthworms, green manures, cover crops, mulch, composting (and extreme composting), sources of organic material you might not have considered before, humus, alfalfa, no-till gardening, and many other things to make your soil building experience as easy as possible. Table of Contents: SOIL BUILDINGSaving the world, one dirt clod at a timeEarthworms = earth moversGreen manuresCompostMy soil is evil!GET TO KNOW YOUR SOILTAKING SOIL SAMPLESTHE SOIL FOOD WEBEARTHWORMS: THE SUPER SOIL SAVERSHow to Protect EarthwormsA Field Guide to EarthwormsEpigeic EarthwormsEndogeic EarthwormsAnecic EarthwormsORGANIC MATTER AND HUMUSMother Nature Shows Us How To Make Great SoilDon't Let Leaves Go To Waste!MULCH THE WORLD!Fix Out-Of-Control Weeds With Newspaper MulchCOMPOST - BLACK GOLDComposting: Learn the BasicsThe Ultimate in Recycling: Extreme Composting!Sixty Weird Things You Can Compost!ORGANIC SOIL AMENDMENTSGREEN MANURES AND COVER CROPSCover crops and their benefitsGreen manures and their benefitsALFALFA: A GARDENER'S SECRET INGREDIENTTHE CASE AGAINST CHEMICAL FERTILIZERSNO-TILL GARDENINGFIXING LOUSY SOILFixing Subdivision SoilAerarate, Add Good Things to Improve Your SoilHOW TO MAKE A NEW GARDEN BEDRaised garden beds to help the soil (and your back)Save Time and Trouble with Garden Journals
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