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The Ideal Soil: A Handbook for the New Agriculture Hardcover-spiral – January 1, 2010

by Michael Astera (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
This is a book about the New Agriculture. It is a how-to manual that tells exactly how to go about changing your farming, gardening, and landscaping practices over to a sustainable and healthy model that does not require large year to year inputs of fertilizers or massive inputs of organic matter. Once the soil minerals are balanced and part of a living soil, the need for insecticides and other "rescue chemicals" will drop away as well. Living things that are well fed do not attract disease or parasites. From the smallest bacterium to the largest tree all living things have a genetic potential for growth and health that is only limited when something is missing from or out of balance in their environment. As gardeners, farmers, and caretakers of the land we cannot control the variables of climate and we cannot control rainfall; what we can control is the level and balance of essential nutrients in the soil, but that is plenty. In order to begin, we need first of all to know what we are starting with, we need to take inventory. This book is a recipe for creating the ideal soil, but that recipe will do no good without knowing what ingredients we have to start with, so that we know what other ingredients may be lacking. The only way to know what we are starting with is to have the soil assayed by a soil testing laboratory. Once that test is in hand, the rest is pretty simple. Soil testing is not expensive. There are many soil testing labs around, and they are inexpensive and fast. It's all here. The science of soil nutrients can trump remedial nutrition and it can trump pharmaceutical medicine. It is primary; it comes before either of the above and if applied intelligently can make them unnecessary. A healthy well fed body will suffer from no nutritional deficiencies and will need no supplements or drugs. A very rudimentary understanding of chemistry and fifth-grade arithmetic are the only bits of knowledge needed.
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  1. Print length
    139 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    SoilMinerals.com
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2010
  5. ISBN-10
    0984487603
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0984487608
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SoilMinerals.com
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 139 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0984487603
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0984487608
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
15 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to understand. They appreciate its soil knowledge, with one customer noting how it walks readers through interpreting soil tests, while another describes it as a road map to healthier soil and vegetables.

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Soil knowledgeEase of understanding
5 customers mention "Soil knowledge"4 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's soil knowledge, with one customer noting it provides a road map to healthier soil and vegetables, while another mentions it walks readers through interpreting soil test results.

"...It is simple to read and understand, even as he walks you through interpreting your soil test and figuring out for yourself which supplements and..." Read more

"...you in to any one set-in-stone fertilizing program, it allows you to get to know your soil and how it relates to the plants / trees you are..." Read more

"...hydroponics, soil biology, biodynamic agriculture, and basic minerals science...." Read more

"...Throughout the text he presents conflicting and unresolved "information" on various topics...." Read more

4 customers mention "Ease of understanding"3 positive1 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand, with one mentioning that it provides clear directions.

"...It is simple to read and understand, even as he walks you through interpreting your soil test and figuring out for yourself which supplements and..." Read more

"It gives clear directions of what and how much of a given element is needed in your soil environment..." Read more

"...the clutter of too much useless/confusing "information" and too little clarity; nor may the editor be excessively devoted to any of the popular soil..." Read more

"This is probably the best soil book I have ever read. It is easy to understand and more importantly easy to apply to my own situation...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Nancy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for gardeners wanting to grow tastier, healthier fruits and veges
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
    Format: Hardcover-spiralVerified Purchase
    I've been gardening for over 50 years and tried most every method ever propounded (organic, square foot, french intensive, chemical w. pesticides, etc.). They all work to some extent and I am a huge fan of compost and soil microorganisms. But they all have been missing an essential piece--the importance of the soil's mineral balance. Very recently I came across the concept of "high brix" gardening, which starts with the result we all want--superbly flavored, highly nutritious produce--and investigates what is necessary to grow it. Brix can be measured with a refractometer ($40+)--the higher the brix, the more sugars and nutrients in the fruit or vege. And one of the most critical factors in producing high brix food is the minerals and trace elements available to the plant. Turns out, however, that most organic produce is no sweeter and no more nutritious than agribusiness grown ones because compost only contains the nutrients and trace elements that were in the plants and/or manure being composted. And if those plants were grown on mineral deficient soil or the feed for the manure-producing animals was grown on mineral deficient soil(as almost all soil is!), the compost will be deficient too. One hears about adding greensand, rock phosphate, kelp, etc.--these are the sources of the missing minerals, but the minerals in soil have to be balanced with one another in order to be available to the plants. Too much of one will make another totally unavailable and some are toxic in too great of quantities, so you can't just throw some greensand on your garden. The only way to know which ones your soil needs and how much of each is by having a soil test done.

    There are several excellent sources of soil testing that will interpret the results for you (for a reasonable price) and some will even mix up the prescribed minerals for you. I don't believe there are any books yet about high brix gardening, but there are many articles available on the web. Just Google "high brix garden". But if you would like to understand the contribution of the minerals in your soil, there is no better book than Michael Astera's "The Ideal Soil". He explains the concept of The New Agriculture and gives credit to those who have contributed to its evolution. It is simple to read and understand, even as he walks you through interpreting your soil test and figuring out for yourself which supplements and how much of each you need. I have no chemistry background and in the past never really understood the chemical side of soil--but he made it so simple that even I finally understand it and can use it.

    Most recently, I have been doing Square Foot Gardening according to Mel Bartholomew's formula of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite--no minerals. I have gotten bountiful harvests, but in truth, I can't say the flavor is all that great. This Spring, I'm going to add the mineral supplements indicated by my soil test, dig it all in, supplement with some foliar feeding, and I suspect I will be eating significantly more flavorful and nutritious produce.
    27 people found this helpful
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  • nwooderson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Method improved my soil. An editor needed.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021
    Format: Spiral-bound
    I bought this book about 10 years ago and have used the methods in it ever since. I am buying another copy having lost the other. The results of labs' periodic soil analyses of my garden soil attest to the merits of the methods in the book. I am giving the book only four stars because the book needs an editor to help with organization and eliminating typos.

    Steve Solomon's book, written after Astera's (to which Solomon gives credit) includes his own version of how to go about using the results of your soil tests to calculate mineral requirements to get your soil in balance. I found Astera's approach a bit easier, simpler to follow, but to each his own. Solomon's books (includes Gardening When It Counts) have a lot of valuable information for the new and experienced gardeners. I found Astera's handbook also a useful resources, although a bit in need of better organization.
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  • Steve Gunter
    5.0 out of 5 stars It applies to the challenge of balancing the soil
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2013
    Format: Hardcover-spiralVerified Purchase
    It gives clear directions of what and how much of a given element is needed in your soil environment
    It tells you "why" you are trying to get to the goal
    It gives you the opportunity to "understand" what is happening in a soil environment, not just "because they say so, and therefore you know how to talk about it. Anyone, can rattle off sound-bites of facts, but not understand what those facts actually mean; The ideal soil doesn't "lock you in to any one set-in-stone fertilizing program, it allows you to get to know your soil and how it relates to the plants / trees you are growing.
    The format is such, I'm sure even the most advanced landscaper can use the information pulled together in this book to better improve their knowledge, and apply it to their task at hand, in a more sustainable way.
    If your not getting the picture of what I'm trying to share, you are probably a die-hard chemical fertilizer guy who no doubt uses Biocides to mask symptoms in your out-of -balance world of plant life. You need this book; trust me!
    3 people found this helpful
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