As for the digging, it all makes a lot of sense when you read the book. Nowhere do they talk about not digging up rocks, or that the digging of animals is any better or worse than other digging. I think the main idea they were trying to get at was to minimize digging. I also think they were mainly concerned about the traditional idea that an established vegetable garden needs to be rototilled every year. And I’m sure they would say that if you DO disturb the soil, you should add compost, mulch, etc. to restore the soil food web. Actually, this is all the same stuff that Lee Reich says in his book Weedless Gardening, the only difference being that Teaming with Microbes describes the “why” behind it – the biology.

I think you’ll see when you read the book.

I feel compelled to point out that, having set up several garden beds in the past year that required sod removal, I am in no way advocating shoveling large tracts of land. For the next set of beds, I smothered the lawn with newspaper and bark mulch.

However, since Mr. Lowenfels has surfaced, I’ll ask: when skunks dig for grubs in a lawn, they can make huge pits. When squirrels bury food they can move a lot of soil and expose plant roots (and they don’t stop with one hole, either). That must also “impact” the soil ecology, but what exactly makes that better than digging out a rock with a shovel?

I look forward to reading “Teaming with Microbes” — right now I’m in the middle of “Ecology for Gardeners” by Steven Carroll and Steven Salt — but in terms of my own experience, I have read quite a few very detailed books with lots of must-be-done programs in them, and in the final analysis, when Nature has the last laugh and reality reduces the management program to rubble, it’s the best laid plans of scientists that often turn out to be the biggest “no-no.”

The problem is that once someone persuasively sets these ideas in public memory, any truly scientific process that contradicts notions has a hell of a time changing course.

My father, who was a research chemist involved in pesticide development, could certainly attest to that.

I am happy to answer questions re “Teaming with Microbes” and suffer the slings and arrows of disapproval, too!

A few comments. First, we did not mean to suggest you had to tweak your compost pile or use compost tea! You can and, we think should, but you don’t need to. We gave three ways to return the biology to the right state. Our experience with gardeners here in Anchorage is reflected by your comments. Some will, some won’t go to tea or compost…but mulch ,we were quite sure, was available to everyone and its use required a minimum amount of work.

As for disturbing the soil….sounds like a sore spot with a few. That is ok, but I didn’t make up the science. Double digging and rototilling are remnants of the Rodale days. Who were the biggest advertisers in their magazines? Bare soil is a big no-no and rototilling and double digging end up wasting valuable carbon and impact the microbial life. And, both practices destroy those wonderful tunnels made by the animals Firefly doesn’t want to get tickets from the police. (I don’t think Firefly read the book!). I don’t think we suggested you couldn’t remove rocks!

The comment on self mulching was right on the mark. The book explains why…or at least tries to do so! and since it is hard to do with annuals and row crops, suggests what would provide the very same kind of microbiology. This is what part two is about.

Again, if you want to ask questions, just fire away!

CHEERS
Jeff Lowenfels

I also think it’s sort of foolish to believe that just because science has analyzed the contents of soil we can therefore come up with some kind of perfect program for management. I’ve read elsewhere that the best soil amendment is self-mulch — that plants are used to feeding on their own leaf litter — and so combining things into compost would seem to run counter to that whole idea.

There’s no end to the imaginable restrictions. I’m working on satisfaction with the “good enough” performances.

This book is/was on my list of things to read, but I appreciate the heads-up about the level of detail in it. Now I won’t be so inclined to obsess when I finally do start a compost pile.

We were longtime members of the Field Museum in Chicago, and had the privilege of seeing their Soil Exhibit even as it was being constructed.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/undergroundadventure/

I look forward to reading the book, and continuing the underground adventure!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Don’t feel bad if you can’t please all the garden nannies out there who are watching to see who’s finally thrown in the towel and blasted an errant weed or two with their secret bottle of. . .weed killer! I feel guilty enough having NOT turned my compost pile last spring. I didn’t do it in June, July, or (gasp!)August either. Tough.

My back hurts just thinking about how hard I work trying to please every garden nanny on the planet. And trying to keep up with your own garden AND run a small nursery leads to aspirin abuse.

My idea of compost tea is to throw a shovel full of compost into a drywall bucket, toss a handful of alfalfa meal in, and fill it up with pond water. I’ll let it sit for a couple of days, strain it into another bucket and add some of the ensuing ‘tea’ to my watering can.

Dirt Diva Two