Compost Makes Soil Sense
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The Intelligent Gardener
| Author | : Steve Solomon |
| Publisher | : New Society Publishers |
| Total Pages | : 339 |
| Release | : 2012-12-25 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 0865717184 |
Presents advice on how to improve growing soil, discussing some of the current misconceptions about soil and providing the best methods for adding enhancements that will produce nutrient-dense foods.
Common-sense Compost Making
| Author | : Maye E. Bruce |
| Publisher | : |
| Total Pages | : 96 |
| Release | : 1973 |
| Genre | : Compost |
| ISBN | : |
In the 1930s and 40s, Maye Bruce developed a different way of composting to complement the Indore composting system developed by Sir Albert Howard and the complicated Bio-Dynamic composting methods of the Rudolf Steiner school of organic farming. Her "Quick Return Compost System" is aimed at gardeners and smallholders -- the majority -- who don't have access to livestock manure to activate their compost heaps. Instead, the "Q.R." system uses a herbal activator which turns vegetable matter alone into high-quality humus in only a few weeks, and with no need to turn the heap. This activator really works. Sixty years later it is still being made commercially: you can buy it online, or you can make it yourself, from Stinging Nettle, Yarrow, Dandelion, Camomile, Valerian, Oak Bark and Honey. Miss Bruce provides the formula and full instructions for preparation and use, and suggests alternatives if any of the six plants is unavailable.
The Biochar Solution
| Author | : Albert K. Bates |
| Publisher | : New Society Publishers |
| Total Pages | : 225 |
| Release | : 2010-10-01 |
| Genre | : Technology & Engineering |
| ISBN | : 1550924591 |
How the dirt below our feet can save us from extinction. Conventional agriculture destroys our soils, pollutes our water and is a major contributor to climate change. What if our agricultural practices could stabilize, or even reverse these trends? The Biochar Solution explores the dual function of biochar as a carbon-negative energy source and a potent soil-builder. Created by burning biomass in the absence of oxygen, this material has the unique ability to hold carbon back from the atmosphere while simultaneously enhancing soil fertility. Author Albert Bates traces the evolution of this extraordinary substance from the ancient black soils of the Amazon to its reappearance as a modern carbon sequestration strategy. Combining practical techniques for the production and use of biochar with an overview of the development and future of carbon farming, The Biochar Solution describes how a new agricultural revolution can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to below zero while increasing world food reserves and creating energy from biomass wastes. Biochar and carbon farming can: Reduce fossil fuels inputs into our food system Bring new life to desert landscapes Filter and purify drinking water Help build carbon-negative homes, communities and nations. Biochar is not without dangers if unregulated, and it is not a panacea, but if it fulfills its promise of taking us back from the brink of irreversible climate change, it may well be the most important discovery in human history.
Sustainable Market Farming
| Author | : Pam Dawling |
| Publisher | : New Society Publishers |
| Total Pages | : 459 |
| Release | : 2013-02-01 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 1550925121 |
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
The Soil Will Save Us
| Author | : Kristin Ohlson |
| Publisher | : Rodale |
| Total Pages | : 258 |
| Release | : 2014-03-18 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 1609615549 |
Thousands of years of poor farming and ranching practices—and, especially, modern industrial agriculture—have led to the loss of up to 80 percent of carbon from the world’s soils. That carbon is now floating in the atmosphere, and even if we stopped using fossil fuels today, it would continue warming the planet. In The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming. As the granddaughter of farmers and the daughter of avid gardeners, Ohlson has long had an appreciation for the soil. A chance conversation with a local chef led her to the crossroads of science, farming, food, and environmentalism and the discovery of the only significant way to remove carbon dioxide from the air—an ecological approach that tends not only to plants and animals but also to the vast population of underground microorganisms that fix carbon in the soil. Ohlson introduces the visionaries—scientists, farmers, ranchers, and landscapers—who are figuring out in the lab and on the ground how to build healthy soil, which solves myriad problems: drought, erosion, air and water pollution, and food quality, as well as climate change. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth.
Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening
| Author | : Will Bonsall |
| Publisher | : Chelsea Green Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 402 |
| Release | : 2015 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 1603584420 |
"Society does not generally expect its farmers to be visionaries." Perhaps not, but longtime Maine farmer and homesteader Will Bonsall does possess a unique clarity of vision that extends all the way from the finer points of soil fertility and seed saving to exploring how we can transform civilization and make our world a better, more resilient place. In Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening, Bonsall maintains that to achieve real wealth we first need to understand the economy of the land, to realize that things that might make sense economically don't always make sense ecologically, and vice versa. The marketplace distorts our values, and our modern dependence on petroleum in particular presents a serious barrier to creating a truly sustainable agriculture. For him the solution is, first and foremost, greater self-reliance, especially in the areas of food and energy. By avoiding any off-farm inputs (fertilizers, minerals, and animal manures), Bonsall has learned how to practice a purely veganic, or plant-based, agriculture--not from a strictly moralistic or philosophical perspective, but because it makes good business sense: spend less instead of making more. What this means in practical terms is that Bonsall draws upon the fertility of on-farm plant materials: compost, green manures, perennial grasses, and forest products like leaves and ramial wood chips. And he grows and harvests a diversity of crops from both cultivated and perennial plants: vegetables, grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and nuts--even uncommon but useful permaculture plants like groundnut (Apios). In a friendly, almost conversational way, Bonsall imparts a wealth of knowledge drawn from his more than forty years of farming experience. "My goal," he writes, "is not to feed the world, but to feed myself and let others feed themselves. If we all did that, it might be a good beginning."
No Dig
| Author | : Charles Dowding |
| Publisher | : Penguin |
| Total Pages | : 631 |
| Release | : 2022-09-06 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 0744077753 |
Work in partnership with nature to nurture your soil for healthy plants and bumper crops - without back-breaking effort! Have you ever wondered how to transform a weedy plot into a thriving vegetable garden? Well now you can! By following the simple steps set out in No Dig, in just a few short hours you can revolutionize your vegetable patch with plants already in the ground from day one! Charles Dowding is on a mission to teach that there is no need to dig over the soil, but by minimizing intervention you are actively boosting soil productivity. In fact, The less you dig, the more you preserve soil structure and nurture the fungal mycelium vital to the health of all plants. This is the essence of the No Dig system that Charles Dowding has perfected over a lifetime growing vegetables. So put your gardening gloves on and get ready to discover: - Guides and calendars of when to sow, grow, and harvest. - Inspiring information and first-hand guidance from the author - “Delve deeper” features look in-depth at the No Dig system and the facts and research that back it up. - The essential role of compost and how to make your own at home. - The importance of soil management, soil ecology, and soil health. Now one of the hottest topics in environmental science, this "wood-wide web" has informed Charles's practice for decades, and he's proven it isn't just trees that benefit - every gardener can harness the power of the wood-wide web. Featuring newly- commissioned step-by-step photography of all stages of growing vegetables and herbs, and all elements of No Dig growing, shot at Charles’s beautiful market garden in Somerset, you too will be able to grow more veg with less time and effort, and in harmony with nature - so join the No Dig revolution today! A must-have volume for followers of Charles Dowding who fervently believe in his approach to low input, high yield gardening, as well as gardeners who want to garden more lightly on the earth, with environmentally friendly techniques like organic and No Dig.
The Land Gardeners
| Author | : Bridget Elworthy |
| Publisher | : National Geographic Books |
| Total Pages | : 0 |
| Release | : 2023-02-07 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 1760762881 |
From enriching the soil to creating floral arrangements, The Land Gardeners explores all aspects of creating a productive cut-flower garden. When Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld established their firm Land Gardeners, which specializes in cut flowers, they revived the tradition of working with the land to produce abundant, seasonal flowers for use in decoration, design, and events. Yet, as beautiful and idyllic as their designs are, soil health and productivity are their main concerns. Beginning with their philosophy and origins as gardeners, The Land Gardeners provides vital information on everything you need to create your own cut-flower garden, from necessary tools and how to support health to what plants flourish in which seasons and advice on gathering, preparing, and arranging your blooms. In this gorgeous volume, the authors provide a plan for growing flowers in all four seasons. As beautiful as it is informative, this book explores the joy of gathering cut flowers and the importance of surrounding ourselves with healthy, vital gardens.
How to Make and Use Compost
| Author | : Nicky Scott |
| Publisher | : Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 193 |
| Release | : 2021-02-04 |
| Genre | : Gardening |
| ISBN | : 0857845489 |
The world of compost and how it relates to healthy soil is a fascinating, complex story. Compost helps to create and maintain healthy soil – the foundation of growing organically. It is also cost-saving, easy and fun, and a fantastic way to learn and connect with nature. Most importantly, composting is really beneficial for the environment as it massively reduces the amount of noxious methane gas generated from burying food waste in landfill. In How to Make and Use Compost, composting expert Nicky Scott reveals why making compost is so important for healthy soil and the environment, how it works and how to make your own compost. He provides clear guidance on the most appropriate system for your site, whether you're composting in a garden or a kitchen, and explains how different composting systems work, including cold composting, wormeries, bokashi and hot boxes. This practical book features an A-Z guide to what you can and cannot compost, composting techniques, common problems and their solutions – from Activators to fertilise the soil with microbial food sources, to Z for Zoo poo if you're lucky enough to live near a wildlife sanctuary! It also details how to compost food waste on a large scale for hotels, restaurants, cafés and other establishments, and shows you how to plan a school or community compost scheme. An extensive list of resources, including websites, organisations, books and where to buy equipment, is also included. Beautifully illustrated with photographs throughout, this handy guide is ideal for gardeners as well as those who want to become more sustainable.
