Best soil gardening books according to redditors

Ever since I read this book with my vegetable garden in mind, I've been really curious about putting a fungal species in both that and my cannabis/hemp tent to create a mycorrhizic relationship. Especially with a plant like cannabis where you're constantly fertilising it, it intuitively seems like it would boost nutrient uptake over the more or less sterile way I'd otherwise grow it indoors. Neither PF cakes nor grain spawn managed to take in the garden this year though. I think my next step is using the spent 50/50 from a monotub, maybe with additional straw on the surface, as a compost mixed in to the smart pots.

How do you do yours? Do you take it all the way to flowering in the monotub or transfer it?

Why lose those valuable nutrients down a hole when you can compost it?

(Yes, I know it's composting at the bottom of the hole, but you can't use it...)

As someone who grows only organically - and only has experience outdoor, I will add a few tid bits of information that I know of.

First thing is, read this book... I seriously learned so much about the science behind organic growing and it really helps to understand and better improve the overall health of your plant.

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Gardeners-Guide-Soil/dp/0881927775/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381356372&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=teaming+with+micobes

Second thing is... look into Compost Teas. They aren't essentially required but they are extremely helpful if you are the kind of person who wants to squeeze as many trichomes and weight from your plant.

A quick explanation of how to create a compost tea is to add 5 gallons of RO (Reverse Osmosis) Water into a bucket... then you add various other organic solutions and bubble them for 24+ hours.

Here is a recipe for an equal parts Fungal:Bacterial Tea (Reading the book will teach you the difference between Fungai and Bacteria)


1.5 Pounds 1:1 Ancient Forest Hummus/Earth Worm Casting

3-4 Tablespoons Diamond Black

2 Tablespoons BioWeed

20ml BioMarine

Ray Mears is the man to watch and read if you are thinking about long term sustainable survival.

If you are thinking about eventually getting out of the primitive I would suggest adapting the practices of permaculture for your situation (and the cheaper condensed version though just as good!).

Things like a compost toilet and digesting methane for fuel might be things you'd like. There's the Humanure Handbook which I have read from front to cover several times and I highly recommend it. I also experimented with humanure and have nothing but good things to say about it. Anyway, I don't want to talk to much so Google permaculture, there's a /r/permaculture subreddit, read, research, think a lot about what you're going to do before you do it and good luck.

EDIT: here's a good book about a permanent shelter you might like

Sorry I have to plug an amazing book about the soil food web that can put a lot of perspective on how to improve the nutrition cycle efficiency.

It's called "Teaming with Microbes" and is an absolute trove of knowledge.
https://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=teaming+with+microbes&qid=1573491535&sprefix=teaming+with+mi&sr=8-2

The same author also has one called "Teaming with Nutrients" which I haven't read yet but that I believe is just as good based on a user I was chatting to in the permaculture sub a year or so ago.

I would suggest picking up the book Teaming with Microbes. http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

This really gives you a good idea of what living soil is all about. Once you have an idea of how good soil is balanced composting is a lot easier.

Everything is in 'Teaming with Microbes' .

One Straw Revolution

Teaming with Microbes

Teaming with Nutrients

Master Cho's Lessons

Gaia's Garden

This is a good base into the natural side of things, if that interests you at all.

Successful organic gardening and farming is a question of figuring out how to turn what seem like liabilities into assets. It seems like you have too much sun. Try putting up some shade cloth to block out sun during the most intense parts of the day. Mulch your plants. A lot. Mulch will save you.

Read some books. Eliot Coleman's books are fabulous, and contain a lot of good general information even though the author lives in Maine. I particularly recommend Four Season Harvest. Gaia's Garden is great, and is well suited to someone who owns very little land. Teaming with Microbes is an easy-to-read introduction to bringing your soil to life. And Roots Demystified has some great information about how to best design watering systems for specific plants you're growing. These books all have good pest-fighting information.

You can PM me if you have any questions. Get started!

I would recommend, Teaming with Microbes.
Really a cool book if you're into gardening or just want to understand the soil.

Read the book "Teaming with Microbes" it is by far the best book on organic gardening I have ever read. You can get it through Multnomah County library.

Also, hit me up if you want to use my compost tea brewer or need some help with planting/planning/harvesting (I live in SE).

Awesome man! I used this recipe and changed it up a bit as per a friend's suggestions. It can be a bitch to get all of the ingredients together and mixing it all up by hand was a mission on its own.

Teaming With Microbes is a pretty solid book for learning about the soil food web. Not much plot or character development, but worth a read.
Once I'm done with my assignments for the quarter I'm going to readTeaming With Nutrients by the same authors.

Well, good luck! Reach out if you have questions, I'm no expert but I love doing learning about this stuff and seeing the results.

You should take a look at "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. It helps paint a picture of what kind of life we are trying to keep alive in the pots by using all of the inputs as well as mulching and watering schedules.

I think /u/abjectCitizen has a done a great job describing the process. I will also recommend taking a look at build a soil's earlier blog posts. They show the process of filling/transplanting/watering during a grow that I found to be pretty helpful. They also carry quality products you really can't find elsewhere (powdered aloe and coconut water being two I purchased).

Yep. And in order to comply with Rule#2, I use a pitchfork to fold mulch/compost into the clay. We had no earthworms (that I ever saw) when we started gardening. Fork up the soil the following year after mixing wood mulch into the clay and every forkload of soil has a juicy fat earthworm in it. Using a pitchfork is not only a much easier way of turning the soil (as opposed to using a shovel), but it also prevents the earthworms from being accidently lopped in half.

Edit: interesting anecdote gleaned from Teaming with Microbes: earthworms hate forests because of the high acidity soil microculture there.

I have variety in my lawn, different grasses, clover, some weeds. I’ve never had to thatch anything. I think at least part of the problem some people have is that they kill the things that help decompose that dead grass. Pesticides kill lots of beneficial insects and over fertilizing with strong chemical fertilizers kill lots of microorganisms in the soil.


This book really opened my eyes to the benefits of mostly organic gardening and lawn care. It’s a pretty short read and explains well some really basic concepts to help your plants of all kinds thrive with minimal effort




https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1604691131/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I have read all of these front to back multiple times. I read the grow bible 5 times before I even started purchasing equipment and propagating seeds. Do it right, take the time to do the research. You will find there are many cost effective ways to grow amazing Cannabis.

True Living Organics: The Ultimate Guide to Growing All-Natural Marijuana Indoors

The Cannabis Grow Bible: The Definitive Guide to Growing Marijuana for Recreational and Medical Use

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Science for Gardeners)

Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition (Science for Gardeners)

Fundamentals of Horticulture 4th Edition

The Secret Life of Plants: a Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man

edit: If you cant tell I am an organic cultivator. ;D

I highly recommend Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition

It's an easy read as far as nonfiction goes.

I hugely appreciate Nature. Had a few encounters with the intelligence of nature and I experienced a glimpse of what it feels like to be a tree while being guided by a shaman in Peru. I found that so many things are treated with ignorance and the real beauty of nature has to be perceived as a whole. What goes on underneath, in the soil is truly remarkable.
Read this book after my experience that made me realize how little we know and understand:
https://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

I’m going with this super soil approach, too. Just started, so I don’t have any wisdom yet.

But here’s what I’ve read/watched that’s been super influential.

Joshua Steensland
https://youtu.be/IbQASXEqd9g

Autoflower podcast
https://overcast.fm/+QfLIKH8bk


Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web
(Free if you have prime and a kindle)

Also shout out to u/bong_sau_bob for what I think is a wing chun reference.

According to Ruth Stout, all you need is rotting vegetable material and hay mulch on top of your garden bed.

​

I'm only a couple of chapters in currently, but I think that you'd be interested in this book: Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition

Whether or not your 'flush' was needed depends on what was in your fertilizer as you were using bottled chemicals and not organic inputs... Organic gardening relies on organic inputs decomposing in soil via microbial activity, broken down and fed to plants through a mycorrhizal fungal network. You don't need to use any sort of bottled nutrients if you are gardening organically. I'm no expert gardener, but I've worked in a few gardens and harvested a few plants, and I seem to see the healthiest, hardiest plants grown in plain soil with no bottled nutrients. Check out the book "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and explore the soil food web http://www.soilfoodweb.com/ if you want to learn about organic gardening. If you want to learn more Jeff has written a three part series, the next book is Teaming with Nutrients and lastly Teaming with Fungi.

Alex Veidel has been doing research and experiments with non-manure-based compost in aquaponics. He did a talk on it at the Aquaponics Fest, and is writing an article in Aquaponics Survival Communities this month on possible issues with compost.

I know that inoculations have become quite popular in hydroponics as of late. This might be partly because they've realized that aquaponics systems actually grow faster once they're mature, and that this must have something to do with bacterial or fungal nutrient uptake improvements.

Human knowledge in this area is severely lacking. We know so little about how microbial communities influence plant growth, we might as well be cave-men scratching drawings on a cave wall. For a good read on this topic, check out Teaming With Microbes.

Vlad Jovanovic at Aquaponics Source Forum might have some ideas for you.

If you want to go organic, read Teaming With Microbes.

It's the down and dirty of using organic inputs

My favorite: Teaming with Microbes

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

Hi, coming from the same angle, I'm fairly certain that you want to read this book.

Tell us more about the soil and what kinds of crops it was used for, how often it was left fallow, and so on.

Failing that, my $0.02:
Personally, I'd go for a soil analysis for the ten bucks it'd cost you. Aiming for a nutrient-balanced soil at this point might be more valuable than adding horse poop. Knowing what the soil is deficient in will give you a much better sense of what to add, and how much.

I highly recommend Steve Solomon's book, The Intelligent Gardener if you're at all interested in balancing your soil.

right fertilizer is made readily available via protozoa and nematoads. and other beneficial bacteria dying and the rhizosphere uptakes said nutrient from fertilizer. but i think he was looking for a simple answer.

edit: I highly recommend this book https://www.amazon.ca/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

Ya, check out the buildasoil blog, too! That's definitely one of my resources! Jeremy, the guy that runs the site, is a really great guy who is passionate about educating himself and buying the highest quality stuff. He's a complete soil nerd and we all get to reap the benefits lol.

For a book, I'd recommend "Teeming with Microbes". I read the whole thing on my phone via the kindle app for $3 and it was the most info per page of any source I've come across, plus its written in a pretty accessible style.

For a movie, I'd recommend "Symphony of the Soil". Really great overview touching on the geological, biological, agricultural and even historical perspectives of soil and plant growth.

You're definitely wise to approach things as a skeptic. I was talking with a fellow permie once about all kinds of permie things, and I thought they seemed quite rational. Then, they started talking about energy healing. That was a "smile and nod" moment. I swear, we're mostly sane.

Teaming with Microbes and Teaming with Nutrients might be helpful books to check out. They don't directly address mineral accumulation, but it explains the processes through with accumulation occurs, if that makes sense. They're very thorough books that will make you wish you had paid more attention in Bio 101, but they're written in an engaging way.

This study is on bioaccumulation, though they're testing for heavy metals and not nutritional value. Maybe their methods are explained.

As far as comfrey goes, I know it dredges up minerals from the subsoil with its remarkably long roots. As the leaves die, they decompose on the ground and the minerals become available in the topsoil, which then makes those minerals available to other plants who don't have such deep roots.

Legumes, however, have bacteria colonies surrounding their roots that make nitrogen from the air available to the plant. When the plant dies, it decomposes and then the air-harvested nitrogen becomes available in the soil. Usually, we innoculate legume plantings with the bacteria. It occurs naturally in soil, but may not necessarily be present in every square foot of soil. So, better to be safe than sorry.

Highly recommend reading Teaming with Microbes [1] for those interested in how plants actually take up nutrients and fixate nutrients in the soil. Bacteria and fungi are actually your best "companions" in the garden.

1. http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

Two very popular and highly recommended books. Check out the amazon reviews.

Teeming with Microbes to learn about the soil food web: http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

The Well Tended Perennial Garden for ornamental gardening: http://www.amazon.com/The-Well-Tended-Perennial-Garden-Techniques/dp/0881928038

Short answer: Yes, Use compost tea.
Long Answer: This book

This article by Dr. Elaine Ingrahm is a pretty good intro to the process. She's one of the leading experts on the soil food web, and was essentially the inspiration for the above mentioned book.

Good luck!

Welcome axxx. I am on similar acreage and also grow organic vegetables. I'm going into my second season and I'm making many changes after all the mistakes I made last year! It's great to hear that there is a community of farmers helping each other out. We got many seeds in last week as well and put them under fluorescents in the basement. I am striving to create a sustainable farm.

Here are some resources if you don't know of them:

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service -http://attra.ncat.org/

Excellent science based gardening book that has made me update my practices - http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301667399&sr=1-1

Do you know these guys? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvLkh5oOsY&feature=related No-till is less energy intensive and makes the soil healthier. I am going to be experimenting with it this year.

How many years have you been after it? Would love to discuss farming anytime. Glad to have you.

Hmm... Teaming with Microbes looks good. I might give it a read.

“Teaming with Microbes” is a great introduction for everybody— very cool to see results from your education!

> i’d love to learn more

An honest answer for an honest question:

[For the non-farming gardener - all about soil] (https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Gardener-Growing-Nutrient-Dense/dp/0865717184) Save your $ and give your library card some exercise.

[tl;dr summary] (http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/biblio/fulltext/t1860.pdf)

[Informative & you may find interesting. The prices are for hard copies, the links bring up the actual materials.] (https://eap.mcgill.ca/General/eap_ind.htm)

[Everything related to farming everywhere] (http://www.fao.org/home/en/) Warning - some reports contradict each other - it's a very large organization with different research/reports coming to different conclusions.

If you don't understand how livestock fits into the system (which you don't, sorry, but its obvious) then you end up making suggestions which look, how to put this politely, woefully uninformed.

Mel's book is great. However, I think he's very optimistic about spacing. It may be theoretically possible to plant things at those intervals, but a new garden plot needs a few years to develop the biodiversity it needs to achieve peak productivity.

I didn't use much other than Mel's book my first year. I think Teaming With Microbes is essential reading. If you understand soil, you'll understand your plants. Building Soils Naturally is also a good one and it's a little less dry.

I'll also say that Mel's "soil mix" did not work well for me at all. I don't have abundant sources of organic matter available, so I took his suggestion to mix 5 types of store-bought compost. I don't think commercial compost is a sufficient replacement for the homemade stuff. Perhaps if you mix it together with a small amount of homemade compost and let it decay for awhile, it would be better.

That said, plenty of people have success following Mel's book to a T, so your mileage may vary.