The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers [Paperback]

Grace Gershuny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999 | ISBN-10: 1890132314 | ISBN-13: 978-1890132316 | Edition: 4

Soil is the basis not only for all gardening, but for all terrestrial life. No aspect of agriculture is more fundamental and important, yet we have been losing vast quantities of our finite soil resources to erosion, pollution, and development. Now back in print, this eminently sensible and wonderfully well-focused book provides essential information about one of the most significant challenges for those attempting to grow delicious organic vegetables: the creation and maintenance of healthy soil.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Grace Gershuny, in addition to her position on the staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program, has worked for many years as an educator, organizer, and market gardener. She is the author of Start With the Soil and co-author of The Rodale Book of Composting. She is on the faculties of the Institute for Social Ecology and Goddard College, and lives in Barnet, Vermont. Joe Smillie is the senior vice-president of Quality Assurance International, a leading organic certification agency. He is co-author of the books The Orchard Almanac and Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, and is a founding member of the Organic Trade Association, and the International Inspectors Group. He lives in Richmond, Vermont.

Product Details

• Paperback: 173 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; 4 edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890132314
• ISBN-13: 978-1890132316
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soil Basics and More, November 22, 2001

By 

Scott Vlaun (Otisfield, Maine United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers (Paperback)

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.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For master gardeners and farmers, but also good for basics, February 4, 2003

By 

Abdulrahman Aljabri (Jeddah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers (Paperback)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 27, 2009

By 

amarkist (san francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers (Paperback)

If you are a home gardener who wants to make your backyard attractive, skip this book, but if you are serious about growing things and understanding ecological principles, this is a great resource.