The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Life in the Soil

Life in the SoilLife in the Soil by James B. Nardi is one of those hidden gems that a publisher forgot to hype.  It reads like a companion book to Teaming with Microbes, showcasing the life just a little bit larger --- big enough for us to see with our naked eyes in most cases. 

The book includes some fascinating information about the roles of invertebrates (and some vertebrates) in soil building, cycling, and health, but the meat of the text is a field guide to the main types of critters you'll find in the dirt.  Each entry is illustrated with beautiful black-and-white drawings, and the author highlights something fascinating about each one.

I usually give away books after I read them, but this one merits a semi-permanent place on my bookshelf.  Stay tuned for a lunchtime series that will hit the highlights, but you might consider picking up a copy for yourself if you really want to open your eyes to life in the soil.


This post is part of our Life in the Soil lunchtime series.  Read all of the entries:


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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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