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highly recommended |
Inspired my new career 
I stumbled across this book while doing research on compost tea. It explains, in layman's terms, exactly what should be going on in our soil. It also lays the foundation for transforming the way you think of soil. It explains why petro-chemical based, artificial fertilizers appear to give you results in the beginning, but ultimately lead down the slippery slope of ever increasing needs for more and more, expensive fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. My business and web site have benefitted from reading this book. The instructor for my Master Composting class is "constantly amazed" and much of what I know came from this book.
Good Garden Soil book 
I'm a longtime gardener (and writer/editor), and this book was recently recommended to me by Art Wolk, a gardening author and longtime award-winning exhibitor at the Philadelphia Flower Show. I have a few other more academic tomes on this subject, but I recalled Jeff Lowenfels's name from my time at several gardening mags in the 1980s (House Plants & Porch Gardens [long defunct] and Organic Gardening), and Art was enthusiastic, so it looked like a good bet. It's a good introduction to what we know about soil life and fertility, written in accessible language for normal people, and it's chockful of color photomicrographs of the little critters. Published by Timber Press, a high-quality outfit. Go for it.
Understanding
Again this is a book that should be in every gardeners library, I finely understand what is going on down there in the dirt/soil.A must have book.
It really puts it all together
I've read too many books on composting. I've studied biodynamics, permaculture, organic - trying to find a coherent system that makes sense to me. Seems like lots of things work, from lasagna gardening to double-digging - in some places. But not others. Compost happens: But not always.
Starting out fresh on a new-to-me 10 acre farm this year, I've been struggling to find a coherent approach that minimizes the years of experimentation typically recommended. Confronted with sandy loam, I expected to be adding - literally - tons of compost and lime per acre over the next few years. My back and my purse are grateful to "Teaming with Microbes" for showing me that there are better/cheaper ways that are equally/more effective. I still will need compost and lime - but I don't expect to need tons of each now. Instead, I'm investing some of that money in a compost tea brewer - it's much easier to spray on compost tea than it is to spread tons of compost. By combining techniques I know now how to improve the texture of my soil (hint, simply tilling in cover crops isn't enough, esp. if your soil is already depleted.)
This book pulls it all together by explaining fundamental soil science - thus incidentally explaining why millions of "wacky" claims about rehabilitation of soil have proven effective through the years.
It's excellent, it's straight-forward and easy, and when you finish you'll have no doubts left about the most efficient way to proceed with your project. As for me, reading about all of those hungry microbes left me hungry for more information and I've gone on to the source - Dr. Elaine Ingham. She has some amazing (and readable) books and CDs out there that will really knock your socks off.
And you'll never waste a nutrient again. (I even rinsed my molasses bottle and used the water for my shrubs. Potent nutrients!)
not particularly engaging 
This book is okay but is reminiscent to reading a textbook - not particularly engaging. I much prefer the book `Life in the Soil', by James B. Nardi.
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Teaming With Microbes enlightens readers in two important ways. First, in clear, straightforward language, it describes the activities of the organisms that make up the soil food web, from the simplest of single-cell organisms to more familiar multicellular animals such as insects, worms, and mammals. Second, the book explains how to foster and cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost, mulches, and compost teas. By eschewing jargon, the authors make the text accessible 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.
teaming with, food, gardener, guide, microbes, soil, teaming, web
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