One of the most important things gardeners can do is to build up the soil in their garden. But keep in mind that soil building is not a one-time operation, it’s a process. As humus is devoured by microorganisms, worms, and plants, more organic material must be added constantly in order to keep the soil biomass, and thereby the plants, well fed and happy. Also, humus makes the soil porous and fluffy, builds a strong soil structure, and releases nutrients in a form that’s easily absorbed by plant roots.

Chemical fertilizers will not add humus to the soil. These are merely nutritional supplements; plants and their soil need real food - organic material. This audio guide teaches you all sorts of ways to get organic material into the soil to improve soil health and soil fertility, which in turn improves plant health - for better gardens, higher yields, and more gorgeous flowers.

Examine topics such as soil building; saving the world; one dirt clod at a time; earthworms as earth movers; green manures; compost; why your soil is evil; getting to know your soil; taking soil samples; the soil food web; earthworms as super soil savers; how to protect earthworms; a field guide to earthworms; epigeic earthworms; endogeic earthworms; anecic earthworms; organic matter and humus; how Mother Nature shows us how to make great soil; how not to let leaves go to waste; mulching the world; how to fix out-of-control weeds with newspaper mulch; compost as "black gold"; learning the basics of composting; extreme composting as the ultimate in recycling; 60 weird things you can compost; organic soil amendments; green manures and cover crops; cover crops and their benefits; green manures and their benefits; places to plant them; plants to use for green manures and cover crops; alfalfa as a gardener's secret ingredient; the case against chemical fertilizers; no-till gardening; fixing lousy soil; fixing subdivision soil; aerating and adding; and much more!