Book to guide gardeners on biological soil amendments

Lifelong grower Nigel Palmer’s new book will go beyond compost, directing gardeners to look at locally-sourced materials to make mineral and biological soil amendments for the garden.

“Using this book as a guide. . . you have the opportunity to participate in the next revolution in plant nutrition,” Advancing Eco Agriculture founder John Kempf writes in the book foreword.

The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments, due from Chelsea Green Publishing Aug. 7 – experimental gardener and author Nigel Palmer demonstrates how to make your own biologically diverse inoculants and mineral-rich amendments using leaf mold, weeds, eggshells, bones, and other materials available for little or no cost. He provides practical, detailed instructions that are accessible and exciting to every grower who wants to achieve a truly sustainable garden ecosystem. Palmer’s recipes go beyond fertilizer replacement, resulting in greater soil biological activity and mineral availability. They also increase pest and disease resistance, yields, and nutrient density.

Recipes include:

• Extracting nutrients from plant residues using simple rainwater techniques
• Extracting minerals from bones and shells using vinegar
• Fermenting plant juices and fish
• Culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) to supply a broad spectrum of minerals and complex organic compounds

Inspired by the work of many innovative traditional agriculture pioneers, especially Cho Ju-Young (founder of the Korean Natural Farming method), The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments also includes a primer on plant-soil interaction, instructions for conducting a soil test, and guidance on composting, cover cropping, mulching, measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables using a refractometer, and other aspects of sustainable gardening – making it a must-have resource for any serious grower.