
This is an incredibly fascinating read. The authors purchased a home in Seattle which had a completely barren yard. This book is, to start, the tale of their conversion of the yard into a verdant oasis of lush healthy plants. But the book is so much more than that.
Trained scientists (a geomorphologist and a biologist, respectively), the authors observed and wondered and researched the conversion they performed and witnessed. These observations led to insights and astonishment as they realized that the key to their success lay in the hidden and lush microbiome they were creating beneath the surface of the soil – a soil that they had built up through an aggressive program of adding organic waste to the yard. This waste, in its process of decomposition, created the nutrients and environment for new plant life to flourish.
Their wonderment increased beyond that as they realized the parallels that existed between the microbial activity that was occurring in the soil and the microbial activity that occurs in the human digestive system. In both cases the processes take dead plant and animal waste and process it to provide the nourishment required for the maintenance of life.
The book contains many, many themes that are exposed through easy to read prose, prose that leads the reader on and on, wondering “What next?”. Some of these themes are:
And there are many other themes – but you will need to read “The Hidden Half of Nature” to learn them all. (In fact, you may want to read it a few times – I am just starting my fourth read!)
If I have any wish for enhancements to the book, I would have loved to see some photographs of their yard. And I would have really appreciated more details of their techniques. That said the book provides a detailed glossary, notes and sources.
This book is a must read for any gardener and anyone involved in agriculture. Perhaps even more so, it is a must read for anyone who is at all concerned about the important task of properly nourishing their own body.