Synopses & Reviews
Learn all the secrets for creating fertile, productive soil anywhere. With more than 300 detailed illustrations and at-a-glance charts, Secrets to Great Soil solves all your soil problems and gives you techniques for year-round soil building.
InSecrets to Great Soil you'll find:
* The basics of soil pH and nutrients
* Quick methods for making compost
* Instructions for using organic mulches, soil amendments, and fertilizers
* Ways to customize your soil for a variety of vegetables, flowers, fruits, trees, shrubs, and lawns
Synopsis
Create productive soil anywhere with step-by-step instructions for making compost and fertilizers.
Synopsis
Good soil leads to thriving gardens. Encouraging you to get to know the unique properties of your garden's soil, Elizabeth Snell shows you how to properly use composted plant materials and animal manure to amend your dirt so that it is perfectly suited to your growing goals. Covering a variety of mulching and fertilizing techniques, Snell provides all the information you need to give your garden a healthy foundation of rich, nutrient-filled soil that will ensure a bountiful harvest.
About the Author
A life-long avid organic gardener, Elizabeth Stell was a childhood composter who persuaded her parents to turn over a few square feet of suburban yard to her trench composting experiment. This success at an early age led to her interest in botany, soil science and environmental studies in college. She has managed the herb gardens at the Hancock Shaker Village, worked in the Comstock, Ferre greenhouse, volunteered at San Francisco's Strybing Arboretum, and has edited many projects. Stell contributed to the Holt Dictionary of Ecology and Environmental Science as well as Rodale's Landscaping with Perennials. Her Storey title is Secrets to Great Soil. She is currently a horticultural consultant and editor for the IMP Gardening Made Easy project.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Get to Know Your Soil
2 Creating Fertile Soil
3 Soil-Building Techniques
4 Making and Using Compost
5 Mulches, Amendments, and Green Manures
6 How to Choose and Apply Fertilizers
7 Improving New Sites and Problem Soils
8 Fine-Tuning Tips for Specific Plants
9 A Soil-Care Calender
Appendixes
Earthworm Suppliers
Soil Analysis Laboratories
Recognizing Nutrient Deficiencies
Additional Reading
Useful Conversions
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