The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient-Dense Food

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“It is bold, it is courageous, and it challenges many of our preconceptions about food, about soils, about farming, and about health.” ―Michael Ableman, farmer, author of Farm the City

To grow produce of the highest nutritional quality, the essential minerals lacking in our soil from intensive agriculture must be replaced. The Intelligent Gardener is the practical, step-by-step guide for any serious gardener who wants to:

Demystify this processDebunk much of the false and misleading information perpetuated by both the conventional and organic agricultural movementsRe-mineralize our soil.

Accompanied with customizable web-based spreadsheets, this toolkit calls for far more attention to detail than the simple addition of composted manure or NPK fertilizers. It conclusively establishes the link between healthy soil, healthy food, and healthy people.

Vegetables, fruits, and grains are a major source of vital nutrients, but centuries of intensive agriculture have depleted our soils to historic lows. As a result, the broccoli you consume today may have less than half the vitamins and minerals that the equivalent serving would have contained a hundred years ago. This is a matter of serious concern, since poor nutrition has been linked to myriad health problems including cancer, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. For optimum health we must increase the nutrient density of our foods to the levels enjoyed by previous generations.

The Intelligent Gardener goes beyond organic―it offers the essential tools for those who care about the quality of the produce they grow.

“It’s hard to imagine this book not having a significant and lasting impact on the way organic farmers and gardeners grow their crops.” ―Mark McDonald, West Coast Seeds

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Society Publishers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2012
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865717184
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865717183
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16 years and up
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.67 x 9.02 inches
Part of series ‏ : ‎ Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living
Best Sellers Rank: #69,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Soil Gardening #2 in Soil Science (Books) #23 in Sustainable Agriculture (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (516) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find this gardening book deeply scientific and informative, particularly praising its content on soil fertility and how to produce nutrient-dense food. Moreover, they consider it a must-have for serious gardeners and a good reference. However, the readability and clarity receive mixed feedback – while some find it readable and straightforward, others find it difficult to read and too technical. Additionally, opinions on engagement are divided between those who find it interesting and those who find it not very enjoyable.