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The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient-Dense Food Paperback – November 1, 2012

4.7 out of 5 stars 489 ratings

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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 process
  • Debunk much of the false and misleading information perpetuated by both the conventional and organic agricultural movements
  • Re-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

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From the Publisher

We are what we eat and our food is only as healthful as the soil we grow it in
Sensible, practical methods to increase the nutrient density of the food we grow
At New Society Publishers we are committed to ensuring the health of the environment

Editorial Reviews

Review

This practical step-by-step guide shows all is not lost as Steve Solomon shows us the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. - Sandra Barrera, The Daily Breeze

If you garden, no matter if you're an omnivore, vegetarian, or carnivore I think this book is a good read., blogger, Throwback at Trapp Creek

The nutrient density of the crops we grow and the remineralization of our soils have been almost constantly on our minds and usually on the tips of our tongues. Our biggest inspiration has come from reading Steve Solomen's new book The Intelligent Gardener. - Shannon Jones and Bryan Dyck, bloggers, Broadfork Farm

Any agriculture or home gardening library will find this an accesible, popular lend. James Cox, Midwest Book Review



This practical step-by-step guide shows all is not lost as Steve Solomon shows us the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. - Sandra Barrera, The Daily Breeze

If you garden, no matter if you're an omnivore, vegetarian, or carnivore I think this book is a good read., blogger, Throwback at Trapp Creek

The nutrient density of the crops we grow and the remineralization of our soils have been almost constantly on our minds and usually on the tips of our tongues. Our biggest inspiration has come from reading Steve Solomen's new book The Intelligent Gardener. - Shannon Jones and Bryan Dyck, bloggers, Broadfork Farm

Any agriculture or home gardening library will find this an accesible, popular lend. James Cox, Midwest Book Review



"This practical step-by-step guide shows all is not lost as Steve Solomon shows us the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people." - Sandra Barrera, "The Daily Breeze"
"If you garden, no matter if you re an omnivore, vegetarian, or carnivore I think this book is a good read.," blogger, Throwback at Trapp Creek
"The nutrient density of the crops we grow and the remineralization of our soils have been almost constantly on our minds and usually on the tips of our tongues. Our biggest inspiration has come from reading Steve Solomen s new book "The Intelligent Gardener. - Shannon Jones and Bryan Dyck, bloggers, Broadfork Farm
"Any agriculture or home gardening library will find this an accesible, popular lend." James Cox, "Midwest Book Review"
"

Book Description

Beyond organic -- a practical guide to nutrient-dense food

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Society Publishers; 1st edition (November 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865717184
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865717183
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.67 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 489 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
489 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this gardening book provides excellent starting points for understanding soil fertility and growing nutrient-dense food. Moreover, the book is well-written and required reading for all gardeners, with one customer noting its clear instructions on soil nutrients. Additionally, customers appreciate the taste of the produce grown using the methods described in the book.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

86 customers mention "Information content"83 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's content, describing it as a reference book on nutrient gardening that provides excellent starting points for understanding soil fertility and growing nutrient-dense food.

"...soil through compost and compost tea, but also how to choose mineral soil amendments wisely. Some commercial fertilizers are just bad for the soil...." Read more

"...The concept of nutrient dense food is pretty simple. The gardener works over time to balance the soil with the proper mix of minerals...." Read more

"...My soil is much better already and its only been one year since I started adding gypsum, next year things might be even better...." Read more

"...initial reading of the book, I am optimistic that I will be able to balance my minerals and improve tilth in the process, by one of several options..." Read more

43 customers mention "Readability"31 positive12 negative

Customers find the book comprehensible and well-written, noting it's required reading for all gardeners.

"...The science of the soil is brought alive by the engaging writing style including a lot of personal anecdotes...." Read more

"...It shows how to take, and interpret, soil sample analyses. Then it shows how to calculate what amendments to use to bring the soil to it's optimum...." Read more

"...This book is technical, but Solomon does a great job of explaining what dedicated gardeners should know about their soils...." Read more

"...I did find his condescending tone a bit much and he did sometimes go off on a tangent. I found myself skipping 1-2 pages per rant fest!...." Read more

8 customers mention "Value for money"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth the money, with one customer noting it's worth its weight in gold, while another appreciates the low-cost soil test included.

"...website you will find a link to "OrganiCalc" which allows you, for a small fee, to compute your custom fertilizer prescription on line." Read more

"...if you don't want to go the scientific route, though, this book is worth it for its explanation of the chemistry of soil. Highly recommended!" Read more

"I bought this for myself and found it so valuable I ordered more as gifts for the other gardeners in my family...." Read more

"This book is worth it's weight in gold. So much concise information for every region of the US." Read more

5 customers mention "Taste"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the taste of the produce, with one mentioning succulent sweet corn and another noting that nutritious vegetables are tasty.

"...can use effectively to increase the health benefits, and flavor of your vegetable garden...." Read more

"...Succulent sweet corn. Tasty tomatoes and zippy peppers. Amazon doesn't have enough stars to give this book what it deserves...." Read more

"...Nutritious veggies are tasty veggies, so you get an extra bonus. Even if you've been growing organically for years, you need this book...." Read more

"...add the amendments, grow some amazing plants, enjoy their superior taste and nutrition, and do your part to get healthy and make the world a..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2016
    If I had to choose only one book as a resource to encourage a healthy soil full of micro-organisms that enable nutrient absorption by plants, this would be it. While the viewpoint of the authors leans strongly organic, they do not neglect the important contribution minerals make to the health of the soil, including the microbes. In fact, the authors make very clear that, contrary to Steve Solomon's previous books, "strictly organic" (meaning no "artificial" fertilizer altogether) is not the most intelligent way to garden.
    In this book, the authors make the important connection between a healthy soil and food grown on healthy soil to promote human health. (That's in contrast to growing nutrient-deficient food on nutrient-deficient soil and making up the lack with expensive nutritional supplements which may or may not be absorbed by the human body.)
    The authors provide guidance not only on how to promote a healthy soil through compost and compost tea, but also how to choose mineral soil amendments wisely. Some commercial fertilizers are just bad for the soil. Others should be used sparingly, if at all. And still others are intelligent choices to use on a regular basis. To me this section of the book was most valuable. (I mean, it made sense to me that soils need mineral additives if they are low on certain minerals, but some "organic" additives are just priced out of reach. The authors provide reasonable alternatives.)
    The science of the soil is brought alive by the engaging writing style including a lot of personal anecdotes. The only thing missing from this book is guidance for no-till gardening.
    A nice supplement to this book is *Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Science for Gardeners)* which includes no-till gardening. (Unfortunately that book disappoints in not including remineralization of the soil.)
    39 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013
    Near the end of his new book, The Intelligent Gardener, long-time garden guru Steve Solomon makes a significant point: "There is no place on this planet that remains free of toxic residues." He then suggests we would be far better off if we quit worrying so much about toxicity and, instead, concentrated on growing and eating nutrient dense food.

    I've been able to follow, and participate to a degree, in Mr. Solomon's metamorphosis from expert "organic" gardener to expert "nutrient dense" gardener. Solomon, in my opinion, has long been ahead of the pack as evidenced by his books "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" and "Gardening When It Counts." Through his early gardening experiences and from starting the Territorial Seed business he devised his Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) which was an attempt to balance garden soil. COF is still a good way to go for people who don't wish to go any farther and the formula is easily found on the internet. (Also in The Intelligent Gardener pps. 84-85).

    In the last half dozen years through association with Michael Astera's Nutrient Dense Project and a re-study of the work of scientists like William Albrecht and Victor Tiedjens, Steve Solomon has become a convert to the concept of "nutrient dense."

    The concept of nutrient dense food is pretty simple. The gardener works over time to balance the soil with the proper mix of minerals. The result will be soil that encourages the life forms (worms, bacteria, etc.) that help with soil symbiosis and soil that provides the nutrients plants need to grow properly. Balanced soil will mean healthier plants, resistant to pests. Balanced soil will result in food that is nutrient dense, providing us with the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy.

    Steve Solomon spends a lot of time debunking the concept promoted by J.I. Rodale that compost would solve all problems and that by continuing to heap organic matter on a garden a garden would only get better and better. This is not the case as Solomon explains in detail in a chapter titled: SAMOA (The S*** Method of Agriculture). More important is bringing calcium and magnesium into proper balance. When garden soil is properly balanced, according to Solomon, the garden will create its own nitrates.

    Balancing calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulphur, sodium and other minerals is the key to nutrient dense food. Getting this balance correct begins with a $20 soil test. Then, with a copy of The Intelligent Gardener in hand, one can use the worksheets provided to come up with a prescription for a custom fertilizer designed for one's own garden. Solomon's colleague and co-author, California gardener Erica Reinheimer has developed a website where you can find copies of the worksheets found in Steve's book. On this same website you will find a link to "OrganiCalc" which allows you, for a small fee, to compute your custom fertilizer prescription on line.
    169 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017
    This book might not be for you if: you already have a fertilizer, system, and/or philosophy that produces tons of vegetables and produce, you have 4 small raised beds that you occasionally grow stuff in, you hate the idea of merging math and technical ideas with the free spirit of gardening, you've already read tons material by Albrecht or Tiedjens, you just want to put some Dr. Earth fertilizer in a pot and water your plants, your soil is awesome!

    This book might be for you if: your soil is terrible, you can't grow anything despite watering and babying your plants, you just love consuming gardening information, you get ok results with your garden but there seems to be some bottleneck in performance. Personally I have annoying clay soil that is loaded with magnesium so my soil turns into cement when it dries. This book helped me remedy that problem along with providing an entire system for understanding the inner workings of soil and so far it hasn't done me wrong. Sure, I could have just read online that you need to add gypsum to clay soil but this book will help you figure out how much, for how long, and why bother in the first place. My soil is much better already and its only been one year since I started adding gypsum, next year things might be even better. Obviously there is a lot more to the book, so much more that it forces some people to leave 1 and 2 star reviews because it can sometimes be too complicated or overwhelming. I can't promise all the ideas in this book work but many have worked for me. Good luck!
    19 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • moley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2022
    This book is a revalation for anybody who is looking for a science led approach to healing themselves through their diet.
    Incredible book worth 3x the money and you only have to buy it once!!!!
  • SMB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Must Read
    Reviewed in India on April 26, 2016
    Awesome books by an experienced gardener. I'm grateful to the author for sharing his rich experience in this book.

    Must Read for gardners, farmers.
  • Lorenzo Costa
    4.0 out of 5 stars interessante, apre molte riflessioni
    Reviewed in Italy on January 17, 2017
    libro molto interessante. Se non si hanno basi di conoscenza sul suolo e la sua chimica può risultare ostico, ma al massimo vorrà dire rileggere qualche paragrafo e riflettere su quello che si legge.
    Lo consiglio vivamente per coloro che hanno un orto, oppure per coloro che vivono di agricoltura su piccola/media scala
    Report
  • LAVINIA M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Seminal work on the importance of soil
    Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2023
    A wonderful book that is full of important information. As the saying goes "garbage in, garbage out". With the demands of agra-business providing quantity but not always quality this is the missing link of success.
  • Dam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Book
    Reviewed in Australia on January 30, 2025
    Fantastic book with great information about revitalising soil. Definitely broadened my ways of putting minerals back into the soil