Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Jeff Lowenfels (Author), Wayne Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2006

Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"All good gardeners know healthy plants start with healthy soil. But why? And how? In Teaming with Microbes Lowenfels and Lewis reveal the new research in the most practical and accessible way." Kym Pokorny, The Oregonian (The Oregonian )

"Sure, it's a gardening book, but it has all the drama and suspense of an extraterrestrial thriller.... Read this book and you'll never look at soil the same way." (Anchorage Daily News )

"The authors have given gardeners an inside scoop on the scientific research supporting organic gardening." (Washington Gardener )

"This book has all the best dirt on all the best dirt. It...explains the basics of good soil practices, and it's written especially for home gardeners."  (Seattle Post-Intelligencer )

"For years, we've thought of the 'food chains' in our environment. Lowenfels and Lewis explain an even more wonderful idea: the 'soil food web.' Read Teaming with Microbes and keep it or give it to the library so others may learn of this astounding way to grow vegetables, trees, lawns."

(Rockland Courier-Gazette )

"Sure, it's a gardening book, but it has all the drama and suspense of an extraterrestrial thriller. A cast of characters without eyeballs or backbones. Battle scenes with bizarre creatures devouring one another. Only this book is about as terrestrial as it gets."
—Debra McKinney, Anchorage Daily News, September 14, 2006 (Anchorage Daily News )

"[This book] is a must read for any gardener looking to create a sustainable, healthy garden without chemicals."

(Detroit News )

“It is exciting that the revelations herein are the tip of the iceberg in the complex, microscopic world of our soil that will unfold in the coming decades.” (B & B Magazine )

From the Publisher

Teaming With Microbes describes the activities of the organisms that make up the soil food web and explains how to foster and cultivate the life of the soil. The straightforward text is accessible to a wide audience of gardeners who want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press (July 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881927775
• ISBN-13: 978-0881927771
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Soil Science

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally an answer to my questions, April 17, 2007

By 

Deirdre NYC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web (Hardcover)

I've always known that there was more than meets the eye in all that dirt, and now I know what it is. It's life. Between the tiny pieces of rock (minerals) and the decaying plant matter, right next to the roots of plants and the above the clay level, lives billions of organisms. Each one, be it bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, worms, grubs or rodents, has a function in the soil.

Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis is bursting with information helpful to gardeners. Using a science-based approach they characterize the roll of each inhabitant and component of soil and explain its contribution to the "soil food web." They even include 19 helpful rules to keep your soil fertile without fertilizers and to recover the life in damaged soil.

Questions about the type of compost (brown or green) needed to rebuild damaged soil are fully answered. They make a compelling argument against rototilling soil have step by step recipes for producing healthful compost teas.

I loved their thorough approach and because I've only been gardening for a few years, I finally feel like I have a place to go for definitive answers that eluded me before. My veggie garden needed something and I hope that the I can boost my soil and my output this year based on the information in this book. Time will tell, but this was a great book to point me in the direction that I hope fills my freezer and my stomach with food from my garden this summer.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teeming with Daffodils, February 20, 2008

By 

Ladybug (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web (Hardcover)

When you start "teaming with microbes" you'll soon want a tomato patch that is "teeming with daffodils." This book will show you how!

I've heard about "no-till gardening" for years, but it seemed to be practiced by the slightly-flighty. This book explains in scientific terms why no-till is the best option for your garden. If you have an extensive knowledge of biology, you can skip to Part 2, but I recommend reading Part 1 so you can understand the biology of the soil. Don't be intimidated by this, though, the science is explained in an easy-to-understand manner (the authors weren't your high school teachers!).

"Teaming with Microbes" has completely changed the way I think about my garden. When you follow their procedures, gardening becomes easier (no more turning the soil every spring) and cheaper (no need to buy fertilizers when you have almost everything you need right in your back yard!) and your garden, whether vegetable or flower or perennial, will become more productive.

Best of all, you can plant daffodils in your tomato patch.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, November 9, 2006

By 

M. Pulse (Rochester, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web (Hardcover)

This book is revolutionizing the way I garden. I have learned so much about how to work with the soil and not be concerned about the bugs I see there. I am composting with knowledge and a purpose instead of composting just because. Highly recommend this book for beginners or long-term gardeners. This will challenge the way you have gardened...in a good way.