I’ve told y’all many times that I am a soil nerd. I find it absolutely fascinating that you can go from poor soil to dark, rich soil in a season or two just by caring for the soil! The problem with a lot of books about soil is that they are DRY. If you aren’t interested in or have a decent foundational knowledge of biology and chemistry, you will struggle reading most books about soil. But Diane Miessler NAILED IT in her book Grow Your Soil.
Are you getting overwhelmed in the garden? Stressed? Or just not enjoying the garden like you used to? Check out our garden prompts! We send out weekly emails that get you back in the garden and out of your head! Turn the garden back into a place of love and joy instead of frustration and headache!
My Thoughts On Grow Your Soil
First things first, the way that Diane writes is very similar to how I write, and therefore read. I was able to finish this book in about 2 days of completely uninterrupted reading. Well, except for sleeping. This book was a VERY easy read with a ton of really helpful tips and tricks for you to try in your own garden.
Diane’s Writing Style
The ease of reading makes this book not only an easy read, but allows you fully capture what she’s trying to tell you. As you’re reading, it really feels like you are hanging out talking to her. She has a sense of humor that comes through in her writing.
Also, she doesn’t use big, huge concepts and hard to understand words. While I’m not saying that it’s “simple”, this book is formatted for ANY gardener to enjoy it. I think this is very important when it comes to getting people to understand that building soil isn’t a complicated topic.
The Main Points
I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone, but I feel like hitting the high points would be beneficial if you are looking to purchase the book. Diane’s main points are:
Bring organic matter to the soil
Stop or limit use of inputs like pesticides and fertilizers
Cover crops are our friends
This is something that is echoed through every single book that I have read in regards to bringing your soil back to life. But one of the things that I really liked about Diane’s book, and her message was that it is more geared to the home gardener than Gabe Brown’s book Dirt to Soil, you can read my review on his book here.
While I really enjoyed Gabe’s book, it was harder to figure out how that works on a small scale farm or homestead. While we have acreage here, most of my garden space is in raised beds. I am able to put his teachings to work on my pastures with more success.
In Diane’s book, I feel like the information is actually geared to my garden space and what I am able to accomplish, which was great.
Where To Buy Grow Your Soil
I purchased my copy from Amazon, linked below. I’ve mentioned in the past that we don’t have a fantastic book selection in my town so I get most of my books from Amazon. You can also purchase from Barnes and Noble at $16.95 as of this writing.
I’m sure you could buy this book at a second hand store, but I can’t tell you that for sure.
What are you doing to actively grow your soil?
Let me know below what you have found that works well for building your soil!
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My name is Leigh and I am the owner of Steel Raven Farms. I am also the mom of two wonderful boys, wife to a pretty nifty man for the last 15 years and paramedic to boot. We want to bring you along on our crazy journey of Homesteading and all that entails!
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