Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition
by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis
220 pages
Timber Press, Revised Edition, 2010
List price: $24.95

When I began my Master Gardener classes last week, and we were learning about soil, I thought to myself, "Everyone here should read Teaming with Microbes." The OSU Extension Educator spoke about the Dutch farmers who had recently constructed mega-dairies in our area and how they noticed our soil wasn't "alive." Because I'd read this book, I knew what they meant.
Lowenfels & Lewis once again share valuable information on how gardeners can improve the quality of their soil by being mindful of just what makes it great. The natural balance of living things in our soil and how our gardening practices affect it, is outlined in easy-to-understand terms.
As I read through the book, time and time again I found myself nodding in agreement and recognizing things from my own garden experiences. These were things that I had observed, but hadn't given much thought, until now. Like slime mold. (It's a good thing!)
There's no denying that the things we do in our gardens affects our success or failure. The information presented in Teaming with Microbes is relevant whether you garden organically or not. Armed with the facts from the fascinating world of such a major player in the gardening game - soil - you can't help but be a better, more responsible gardener.
Teaming with Microbes was a bestseller when it was first published in 2006. The revised edition includes two new chapters, giving a more complete picture of healthy soil and how you can have it. No doubt it will continue to be a valuable aid to the gardening world.
Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers of America Hall of Fame and has been writing a weekly column for the Anchorage Daily News since 1977. A native New Yorker, he is now an attorney and businessman in Alaska and a leading proponent of gardening using the concepts of the soil food web.
Wayne Lewis is a lifelong Alaskan gardener. He has worked with Jeff on many projects over the past 25 years, including the now national Plant a Row for the Hungry program (started in Anchorage by Jeff), which encourages gardeners to donate a portion of their harvest to charitable organizations in their community
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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing the product. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like it, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.
The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing the product. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like it, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.



















