Jesse Frost, aka Farmer Jesse, is a certified organic market gardener, freelance journalist, and the host of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast. He is also a cofounder of notillgrowers.com, where he helps collect the best and latest no-till insights from growers in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Europe. He and his wife, Hannah Crabtree, practice no-till farming at Rough Draft Farmstead in central Kentucky.
“Over my years practicing no-till market gardening, I’ve come to
truly appreciate listening to The No-Till Market Garden Podcast and
Farmer Jesse’s exploration of no-till systems. Now, this research
is inked into Jesse’s very well-written and valuable
guide, The Living Soil Handbook. This book is a gold mine
filled with tips, tricks, and effective practices you can apply to
your crop itineraries. I advise any grower to follow Jesse’s
mantra: A no-till system is not a dogma, it’s a
direction.”—Jean-Martin Fortier, author of The Market
Gardener
“The best way to produce healthier soils, fight climate change, and
reduce work all at the same time is to disturb the soil
less. The Living Soil Handbook shows growers how to do just
that. I highly recommend this practical and beautifully designed
book.”—Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm
Guide to Growing Vegetables
“In this wonderful new book, Jesse Frost offers a clear and
friendly explanation of why and how you can grow successfully when
your methods are fully in tune with nature’s processes. Beautifully
illustrated by Jesse’s wife, Hannah Crabtree, The Living Soil
Handbook provides a full range of experience-based advice to
aspiring growers and gardeners on major topics such as soil
fertility and mulches as well as small but important details like
bed and path width. Jesse values practicality over dogma, and keeps
it achievable: ‘Disturb the soil as little as
possible.’”—Charles Dowding, creator of Charles Dowding’s
No-Dig Gardening Course
“The Living Soil Handbook is a must-read for growers who want
to achieve the long-held organic objective of feeding crops by
feeding the soil. It goes beyond the mechanics of no-till to
explain why it’s important to keep the soil ‘as undisturbed, as
well covered, and as fully planted as possible.’ With the
understanding of why to do these things, growers can customize
their soil care systems for any region. Whether or not your goal is
to go completely no-till, Jesse Frost’s book is a great companion
to help you figure out how to ‘disturb the soil as little as you
possibly can in your context.’ With an emphasis on
understanding soil ecosystems, this book allows growers to
improvise their own solutions rooted in soil health.”—Andrew
Mefferd, editor, Growing for Market magazine; author of The
Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook and The
Organic No-Till Farming Revolution
“Jesse Frost’s The Living Soil Handbook is a terrific,
practical application of the no-till principles for which he and
his No-Till Market Garden Podcast have become known and
respected. Disturbing the soil as little as possible—even when
managing garden paths, for example—is one theme of this book about
letting the living soil live and how to do so. Beautifully
illustrated, this is a great read full of useful advice that will
perfect your growing game.”—Jeff Lowenfels, author of Teaming
with Fungi
“The Living Soil Handbook is a must-have resource for those who
wish to reduce or eliminate tillage, build soil biology, intensify
production, and create a more ecological, regenerative, and
successful farm. Farmer Jesse integrates the experiences of a
multitude of farmers and his years of research
with pertinent soil science in this easy-to-read
guide to help grow more resilient farms in the face of climate
chaos. It all goes back to the soil and building
life!”—Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser, founders and farmers, Singing
Frogs Farm
“As a lifelong farmer who is skeptical of absolute practices and
catchphrases like ‘no-till,’ I’m happy to say that Jesse Frost has
done an excellent job of compiling resources and information to
explain the tenets of healthy living soil. With a skillful,
personable writing style, Jesse offers effective farming techniques
and provides a compelling case to disturb the soil as little as
possible as well as to keep it planted and covered as much as
possible. The Living Soil Handbook is a great read for
beginning and seasoned farmers alike.”—Clara Coleman, owner and
operator, Four Season Farm; creator of #RealFarmerCare
“Jesse Frost has made an invaluable addition to the nascent library
of no-till market garden manuals. If you want to grow vegetables
without tillage, read this book closely and reference it often.
Like crops growing from a vibrant soil food web, Jesse’s insights
pull from interactions with innovative no-till growers across the
United States and beyond—and bear fruit worth savoring. Jesse has
synthesized this incredible diversity into a comprehensive manual
that takes no-till to a deeper level. I learned something new on
almost every page. A magnificent union of information
gathering and first-person know-how, The Living Soil
Handbook is a must-read for every soil caretaker.”—Daniel
Mays, author of The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm
“While no-till growing has been popular for amateur gardeners for
some time, it is only more recently that commercial growers have
embraced its potential. The Living Soil Handbook is
beautifully clear, making both the complexity of soil biology and
the technical crop detail engaging and accessible. Jesse Frost
demonstrates the benefits of using no till methods and he also
takes us through, in some detail, the range of methods possible at
different scales. He is no starry-eyed evangelist though. He
explores his failures as well as what has worked well, and points
out areas where more research and trials are needed, for instance
in successful crop termination. Though this book is aimed at the
ecological market gardener, anyone with an interest in growing
vegetables with the minimal impact on their soil will thoroughly
enjoy and learn from Jesse’s sound advice.”—Ben Raskin, head of
horticulture and agroforestry, Soil Association; author of The
Woodchip Handbook
“The Living Soil Handbook speaks to Jesse Frost’s experimental and
inquisitive nature whilst seeking out practical and reliable
solutions. Garnering wisdom from growers in many regions, as well
as from his own experience, Jesse delves deep into what I consider
an optimal approach to annual vegetable production. This book
explores the pioneering no-dig market gardening system with deep
woodchip pathways that I have established at Ridgedale, along with
many other complementary approaches for achieving the same
outcomes: thriving soil biology, practical workflows, and abundant
harvests. It proves once again that it is our pattern-thinking that
is important, and that we have a multitude of solutions at our
disposal. We are microbe farmers, after all, and this book is a
great addition to the literature to help you achieve
beautiful and bountiful results.”—Richard Perkins, author of
Regenerative Agriculture and Ridgedale Farm Builds
Publishers Weekly— "[A] practical, informative debut. . .
.Gardeners interested in sustainable agriculture will find this a
great place to start."
Booklist Starred Review— "Author Frost offers a comprehensive,
science-based, sympathetic, wholly practical guide to soil
building, that most critical factor in vegetable gardening for
market growers and home gardeners alike. A gift to any vegetable
plot that will keep on giving."
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