Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance Healthy soil is teeming with life not just earthworms & insects but a staggering multitude of bacteria fungi & other microorganisms When we use chemical fertilizers we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants & thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial often toxic substances But there is an alternative to this vicious cycle We can garden in a way that strengthens the soil food web the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants Teaming with Microbes extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web First it clearly explains the activities & organisms that make up the web Next it explains how gardeners can cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost mulches & compost tea The revised edition updates the original text &
Includes:: two completely new chapters on mycorrhizae (beneficial associations fungi form with green-leaved plants) & archaea (single-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria) With Jeff Lowenfels' help everyone from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals can create rich nurturing living soil