What a great deep dive on one micro topic that is in the larger topic of gardening. I moved to a new space to create a new garden and I loved reading this book about soil to have more information on things I can do to make sure I am starting with the best soil for my yard and garden.

I would recommend this book to buy for yourself of the gardener in your life that has read it all to have a deep dive on the topic of soil which is the foundation to any garden, no matter the size or method of growing.

As a rookie gardener, I started out lucky. I had plants grow from seed, survive, and produce. But, admittedly, my focus was on the plants. Later, I came to realize the other components of growing were important, too, like soil. My knowledge of soil wouldn’t fill up many pages so I was eager to augment what I knew (aka guessed from experience or learned from other gardeners).

Reading Vegetable Garden Soil Science Made Easy wasn’t exactly an eye-opener for me so much as a series of gentle ‘ah, that’s why…’. The author didn’t shirk the details from what soil actually is to how it came about (the science part promised in the title), types of soil, and what is necessary for soil to be healthy for planting in the now and long-term. Some details I let fly right past me, but others have given me, pardon the pun, food for thought.

I was pleased to see that I’ve not been doing badly in the area of keeping my soil healthy each year since I don’t reach for the fertilizer and I do mix in compost and put mulch on top, but I need to do more work to keep the ph balance what it should be since I tend to plant the same crop in the same spot. I need to do more rotating, soil resting, and pair-planting so that plants that compliment each other are grown together (one takes nitrogen while the other gives it, for example).

James Bright is big on the no-plant method as opposed to traditional gardening. He argues that the garden and soil will do better long-term if gardeners leave the ground in its natural state rather than tilling it up each spring or meticulously remove all the leaves and clippings that actually make for good food for the soil. It has the added benefit of requiring less weeding though, yes, one does need to sift compost into the surface soil.

I can’t say I learned a vast amount and some was reinforcing what I have read or heard before, but where I learned anew was in many of the details about the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’s of soil work. I do like learning what others do to have a fruitful garden and there were many details about soil that were explained better than other gardening books.

All in all, this was science-y without being a confusing deep dive. The ‘easy’ part will be subjective to where the gardener is at in their learning. I thought the contents were just right with a balance between familiar and new detail. It was both instructive and practical hitting on ground, raised bed, and container gardening methods. I would definitely recommend it for those who want to understand the importance of soil for gardening.

Decent collection of information on soil and gardening. Maybe not good for super beginners but for those with a little experience and understanding it works well. Most books on container gardening gloss over soil and water, two main components to successful growth. I appreciate this book taking the time to break down the science of soil.

Nonfiction | Adult
Vegetable Garden Soil Science Made Easy, by James Bright (2022)

I don’t have to tell you how big an impact inflation had on grocery prices; in my neck of the woods, it was especially evident on the produce shelves. (Meat too, but I don’t eat much of it.) It’s a joke that rings painfully true that the bank is offering loans for anyone who wants to buy a head of lettuce. Right? As a result, the grow-your-own-food movement is gaining huge momentum, and I’m sure it will continue in 2023, even as we are reassured that inflation will start to ease. It’s with that in mind that I picked up a digital copy of this nifty little resource. It appears to be self-published, but there is a kindle edition available on Amazon. The subtitle is what caught my attention: “Create a Soil Base for Abundant Harvests in Your Raised Bed, Container, or No-Dig Garden.” We’ve moved our garden bed from the east side to the south side of the house, both to make better use of the sun, and to keep it away from our energetic dog and her furry friends. This will be the first year we plant the four beds we’ve prepared; to maximize production and minimize work, they are a little over a metre wide and about seven metres long. After making the case that the soil is the food your plants will thrive or die on, Bright moves into the the meat of the book. There are sections on everything from soil aeration to texture, and Bright offers guidance on what home gardeners should be looking for, what they can do, and how to address problems. I’m not sure I’d call this “made easy” – to a non-scientist like me, Bright goes into fairly sophisticated detail about the construction of garden soil, from its rocky origins to the millions of bacteria and other microscopic creatures that make it fruitful for the home gardener. The best part, from my perspective, comes in the second half of the book, when he tackles No Dig Gardening and Raised Garden Beds. He explains how to grow vegetables in different beds, including containers, as well as composting tips, winter crops, and the coolest fall task of cleaning your garden called Chop and Drop. You chop up the leaves and plant bits and drop them where they stay and re-enrich that soil for next year. Love it! There were no images in the edition I had in hand, and no index, but there is a hyperlinked table of contents. There was a print version which I think is sold out; I hope it had some illustrations and graphics to help clarify some of the concepts. The kindle edition is under $7 Canadian, and this is the perfect time to study up on soil, while we wait for the seed catalogues to arrive. My thanks to BooksGoSocial for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75412822

This is an extremely comprehensive book on soil science. All aspects of soil and information on how to create soil that supports specific plants, how to create and maintain soil for specific types of gardens, and how to make additives for soil are contained within its pages. I found the way the information was communicated to be a bit hard to read, as it was fairly dense and there were no breaks for my eyes such as a diagram a photo, or some other kind of visually stimulating and informative segue.

I taught my students not only to consider the author's purpose for writing a book but also to consider their purpose in selecting a book. My purpose in selecting this book was based on my looking for advice that I could easily put into practice to increase the yield of our small vegetable garden. I did find several good points that I will put into action before and after the next growing season. I did have to wade through a lot of the science behind these practical tips indicating I may not, given the title, given enough consideration to matching the author's purpose and my own. I am satisfied though that my time with this book was well-spent.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Heath Publishing Company via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A great little book for the beginner preserver. Full of good tips and tricks. i did wish that there was a bit ore explanation at times but overall it was an enjoyable read.

This is a thorough and competent book dealing with soil as the name suggests. It runs through the physics and chemistry of soil and how to test various properties. as well as what are the ideal soils for various growing conditions. In these respects it is a very good, solid book written in a way that most people will understand it. Where it falls down, to me, is that it reads like a rather dull 1960s text book but with absolutely no illustrations or diagrams let alone pictures. A great shame in this highly visual world. There's no fun or excitement in the book, even the author seems to plod on albeit it in a through and logical way, and there should be in order to get people out and cultivating. The headings suggest it's aimed at Middle Grade - I think that that is early teens in the American system. Good luck on getting them to be turned onto gardening. I'm sorry that this is negative - the content is sound and well-written but the presentation is just dull. (2.5* rounded up)Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book is very extensive, and the knowledge within is a must for anyone thinking of gardening. The book is very well written and has a logical disposition. In fact, the only thing I don't like is the title, because I don't think many will find this science easy.