Review of Robert Pavlis, Soil Science for Gardeners:

Working with Nature to Build Soil Health,

British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 2020

By Paul Prill

“I feel the earth move under my feet” is the title of a 1971 song by Carole King. It was not about gardening! But if we became aware of the living organisms in the combinations of sand, silt, clay and organic matter which support our plants, we could imagine the earth moving under our feet and could appreciate what those movements do to produce a healthy soil. 

Much of what we practice in gardening is the result of lore passed from generation to generation. As one of my associates used to say, “if it works, use it." But we often use it without assessing its consequences for our soil health. After all, if we want bigger plants or more tomatoes, we just add fertilizer. 

Unit 5 in our master gardener handbook introduced us to basic concepts about soil health. Soil Science for Gardeners: Working with Nature to Build Soil Health, by Robert Pavlis expands those 16 pages into a 200 page book, but don’t be put off. Pavlis writes for the non-specialist gardener to help us better understand how maintaining a healthy soil in turn promotes plant health. You might, though, want to refresh your memory about the basic concepts before you launch into this more extended discussion. 

Because this is a book for gardeners and not for academics, Pavlis has lots of practical advice which arises from the soil science he presents. Some of those we already practice because they work. But some practices we might want to rethink.

Too often we reach for a standard 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer when we already have, in most of our yards, an overabundance of phosphorus.. We do this not realizing that phosphorus can reach toxic levels. In the spring we crank up our tillers/cultivators and grind away at our gardens to get that soil good and loose. In doing so, we also destroy soil structure and the fungal networks which allow our plants to take up nutrients they need to grow and fruit. 

Since the extension service is committed to science-based horticultural and agricultural practices, we are reinforcing that commitment when we take some time to learn more about the science. Soil Science for Gardeners is very readable, and you will get many answers to “your anything you want to know about soil” questions