A living soil, an ally for cultivation

Good gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life - not just worms and insects, but a staggering array of bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we undermine the microbial life that is normally sufficient to satisfy plant needs. At the same time, we make ourselves increasingly dependent on a whole arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans and other life forms. But there is an alternative: gardening to strengthen the soil and its food web, that fragile and complex network of living organisms whose interactions create a favorable environment for plants. In this clear book, which avoids jargon and overly technical terms, you'll get to know the different organisms that make up the soil's food web. You'll learn how to maintain and regenerate the soil, optimizing its quality through the use of compost, compost juice and mulch, and which solutions to favor depending on the composition of your garden (lawn, vegetable garden, trees and shrubs, perennials and annuals...). In short, if you want to grow vigorous, healthy plants while cultivating your garden without resorting to chemicals, this is the book for you.

New edition of "Collaborer avec les bactéries et autres micro-organismes", revised by Lydia and Claude Bourguignon, founders of the Laboratoire d'analyses microbiologiques des sols (LAMS).

Jeff Lowenfels - Rouergue - 208 pages