by Eliot Coleman
For years organic farmers like Eliot Coleman have practiced natural farming, using biological interactions to accomplish the same results as chemicals and pesticides. Coleman, who is currently farm manager and project director of the Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vermont, observes that healthy plants will resist pests. All of his ideas in this innovative guide are applicable to the home garden. He explains how to test soil, to seed, and how to rotate plants to control weeds, diseases and insects. He urges planting "green manures" (sweet clover, alfalfa, lupins) alongside vegetables to enrich soil. Finally, Coleman elevates growing to an art, one whose rewards far surpass the bountiful broccoli crop at the end of the season. (Chelsea Green, paper, $19.95)
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