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...

A healthy population of beneficial insects can eliminate the need for dangerous pesticides. Say goodbye to common pests like spider mites, aphids, and leafhoppers just by planting a beautiful garden full of the right flowers and herbs! At first it might seem counterintuitive to want bugs in your landscape, but insects are good for your garden especially the helpful ones that eat the pests feeding on your favorite plants.

This completely revised and updated edition of Rosemary Morrow's highly successful Earth User's Guide to Permaculture is a straight-forward manual of practical permaculture. This book will be most beneficial if you apply it to the space where you live and work. The same principles apply for becoming more sustainable and living lightly whether you live in a small city apartment with a balcony, in a house with a garden in the suburbs, or on acreage...

Growing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and mushroom expert Paul Stamets explains how in this groundbreaking manual. The science goes like this: fine filaments of cells called mycelium, the fruit of which are mushrooms, already cover large areas of land around the world. As the mycelium grows, it breaks down plant and animal debris, recycling carbon, nitrogen, and other elements in the creation of rich new soil....

"Call it Zen and the Art of Farming or a Little Green Book, Masanobu Fukuoka's manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book 'is valuable...

This fun and informative guide shows how to make the best compost using ingredients that are easily found around the house.--From publisher description.

Heirloom expert Marie Iannotti brings us the fascinating stories of heirloom vegetables, but more importantly she tells us which varieties to grow for the best flavor and how to cultivate each one successfully. Growing your own has never looked or tasted so good.

Clear photographs of specific problems allow readers to determine exactly what's wrong with their plant; the accompanying charts then point them to the appropriate organic solution. They'll also benefit from the detailed cultural guidelines that tell ...

Scientist/gardener Carol Deppe combines her passion for gardening with newly emerging scientific information from many fields--resilience science, climatology, climate change, ecology, anthropology, paleontology, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, health, and medicine. Here, Deppe extends these principles with detailed information about growing and using five keystone crops that are especially important for anyone seeking greater self-reliance: potatoes,...