Partial book profile
Teaming with microbes the organic gardeners guide to the soil food web
Lewis, WayneLowenfels, Jeff
This book reveals the hidden world of the soil food web, teaching organic gardeners how to cultivate beneficial microbes to create healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems that grow robust plants without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
The full book profile is not available yet.
What it’s about
Teaming with Microbes fundamentally reframes gardening from a chemical and physical practice to a biological one. It argues that the key to a thriving garden lies not in bags of NPK fertilizer but in the teeming, microscopic life within the soil—the soil food web. The book explains how plants actively cultivate this ecosystem by releasing root exudates to feed specific bacteria and fungi. These microbes lock up nutrients, which are then released in plant-available forms by predators like protozoa and nematodes, creating a perfect, self-sustaining nutrient cycle right at the plant's roots. By abandoning destructive practices like tilling and chemical applications, and instead using compost, mulch, and compost teas, gardeners can restore this natural system. This approach allows them to match the soil's microbial balance (fungal or bacterial dominance) to the specific needs of their plants, resulting in superior plant health, natural disease suppression, improved soil structure, and significantly less work for the gardener.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- The home gardener who wants a beautiful, productive yard but is tired of the constant work, expense, and potential health risks of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- The problem
- Plants are struggling with pests and diseases, soil is compacted and lifeless, and gardening requires continuous, costly applications of chemical treatments. The gardener feels frustrated by the endless battle against nature, guilty about using toxic chemicals, and overwhelmed by the amount of work required.
- The plan
- Learn the science of the soil food web and who the key players are.
- Assess the biological health of your own soil.
- Stop using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and stop rototilling.
- Create and apply the three essential tools: compost, mulch, and actively aerated compost tea.
- Match the biology you're encouraging (fungal vs. bacterial) to the plants you're growing.
- The payoff
- A vibrant, beautiful garden and lawn that are naturally healthy and resilient. · Rich, fertile soil with excellent structure that retains water and reduces the need for irrigation. · Freedom from the expense, effort, and health concerns of chemical gardening.