Vegetable Garden Soil Science Made Easy

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.

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.

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.

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.