What an interesting book! Allison read Teaming with Microbes about a year ago, and I finally got around to reading it. Now to be perfectly honest, there is a bit of chemistry and some biology that is just a bit over my head. However, I’ll be reading it again and I’m sure it will sink in the second time around. The overriding principals are easy enough.

Soil is alive! It’s filled with all kinds of life that balance out everything in the “soil food web.” Many of these creatures directly effect how our gardens grow. Unfortunately most of the actions we gardeners take have a detrimental impact on these tiny creatures. The book explains at length the various characters performing in the soil, and why they are beneficial. The author also works to explain how we can care for these critters and keep the soil healthy. Much evidence is presented showing that actions like tilling or spraying chemicals do much more harm than good.

There are some amazing concepts in this book, and they make perfect sense once you stop and think about them. Who knew how extremely important bacteria and fungi are to your tomatoes? The authors also present 19 “soil food web gardening rules” to follow if one wants a sustainable and healthy garden.

I will admit that a bit of the science made my eyes glass over, even though I found the book fascinating. Regardless the writers still got their points across, in spite of my lacking comprehension. I would certainly encourage every gardener to read this book. I will be reading it again; this book has earned a permanent spot on our book shelf.

On the last note: Compost tea is certainly not a new idea however this book made the subject exciting. I can’t wait to brew up some compost tea and see the benefits in my garden!