Wayne Lewis is a lifelong Alaskan gardener. He has worked with Jeff Lowenfels on many projects over the past 25 years, including the now national Plant a Row for the Hungry program, which encourages gardeners to donate a portion of their harvest to charitable organizations in their community.

Table of Contents   Part 1. The Basic Science Chapter 1. What Is The Soil Food Web and Why Should Gardeners Care? Chapter 2. Classic Soil Science Chapter 3. Bacteria Chapter 4. Archaea Chapter 5. Fungi Chapter 6. Algae and Slime Molds Chapter 7. Protozoa Chapter 8. Nematodes Chapter 9. Arthropods Chapter 10. Earthworms Chapter 11. Gastropods Chapter 12. Reptiles, Mammals, and Birds   Part 2. Applying Soil Food Web Science to Yard and Garden Care Chapter 13. How the Soil Food Web Applies to Gardening Chapter 14. What Do Your Soil Food Webs Look Like? Chapter 15. Tools for Restoration and Maintenance Chapter 16. Compost Chapter 17. Mulch Chapter 18. Compost Teas Chapter 19. Mycorrhizal Fungi Chapter 20. The Lawn Chapter 21. Maintaining Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials Chapter 22. Growing Annuals and Vegetables Chapter 23. A Simple Soil Food Web Garden Calendar Chapter 24. No One Ever Fertilized an Old Growth Forest Appendix. The Soil Food Web Gardening Rules

Winner of the Garden Writers Association Gold Award for Best Book Writing Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life—not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web—the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals. This revised edition updates the original text and includes two completely new chapters—on mycorrhizae (beneficial associations fungi form with green-leaved plants) and archaea (singled-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria).