I read my first Eliot Coleman gardening book back in the early 90s and found him to be inspirational – how to grow organically with the vegetables looking fantastic. He himself also looks like he did back in the 90s if the picture on the front cover is a recent one.

The book is an ode to organic gardening as Coleman understands it which includes a closed loop method of growing where inputs are not brought onto the farm, but everything for an increasing fertility is produced on site. He argues against the rise of ‘organic’ products that are essentially inputs labeled organic but have to be bought, e.g. compost, rock dust, manure – purchased inputs.

Coleman defines organic farming through seven statements that he lives by:

• Organic farming is based on the creation and maintenance of a biologically active soil.
• Optimum soil conditions are strived for to produce pest free plants.
• There is a definite link between soil health and human health.
• Fertile soil produces some of the most nutrient dense food.
• Soil fertility does not have to be purchased from outside inputs but created and maintained through the use of compost, crop rotations, green manures, cover crops (I’m not sure of the difference between the last two), shallow cultivation, nutrient-dense powdered rock, enhanced biodiversity and other proctices that nurture and respect the earth.
• Deep-rooting forbes make available minerals from deep down in the soil and grazing livestock benefit the soil.
• Growing in this way is easily understood and accessible to all at a low cost.

This is the definition of a self-fed farm or closed loop and means that the grower is not dependent on anyone else and the agriculture industry does not retain the majrity of the financial benefits. I do wonder about seeds, though. Does Coleman save seeds from the farm or does he purchase them? Yes, he has started to save his own.

So, how do you do this? How do you decide what to sow as a cover crop or green manure and when. The chapter ‘Putting Green Manures at the Heart of the System’ goes some way to explaining this.

Bell beans (not sure what these are – fava?) and alfalfa are legumes so pull nitrogen from the air into the soil but are also deep rooted and so bring up nutrients from the subsoil.

Buckwheat smothers weeds because of its fast growth and large leaves.

Forage radish has deep roots that scavenge minerals from the subsoil.

The appendices detail when to sow particular cover crops and when to till/dig/rake them in and what can follow but even in his home garden, Coleman leaves one half to grow a deep rooted forb (or grass) for a year and then swaps over because he believes that to be the most prepared and best soil to grow on.

Those who have read Coleman’s previous books will find much that is familiar in this one. At 87, although looking spritely, there can’t be too many more books. This book is a reminder of the use and purpose of green manures.