Arlein Vicki Herzfeld - The ever curious gardener: using a little natural science for a much better garden

Praise for The Ever Curious Gardener

As an ever-curious gardener who seeks to understand the science behind all things gardening, I look to my horticultural heroes for that. Lee Reich is always one of my top go-to authorities. Much to my delight, and no surprise, this book is everything I was hoping and more. Leave it to Lee to blend science with real-world application, mixed with a chuckle or two throughout the pages. A fresh, fun, and fascinating must-read for every curious gardener.

Joe Lampl, Creator & Host, PBSs Growing a Greener World

Behind the pleasures of the successful garden, there are the apparent mysteries. How does it all work? Curious gardeners have questions and Lee Reich answers them as effectively as that favorite science teacher in school didclearly and concisely.

Eliot Coleman, farmer; past Executive Director,
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements;
host, Gardening Naturally; and author, Four Season Harvest

Armed with Lee Reichs brand of gardening science, I brush a hand along the tops of my seedlings so they grow sturdier stems. Or I jostle their trays and say, Good morning. When hoeing weeds, I wear a long skirt that brushes the tops of my cucumber and melon plants and they produce more female flowers, hence, more fruit. Combining scientific reasoning with the joy of touch and observation will not only make you a better gardener, youll find yourself with permission to play in a curious world full of intrigue and creativity.

MaryJane Butters, organic farmer, small dairy owner,
beekeeper, author, magazine editor MaryJanesFarm.org

As a commercial grower, I dont read that many gardening books... although I make an exception for Lees Reich books. The Ever Curious Gardener explains some of the science behind whats going on above ground and below ground in your garden andmost importanthow you can work with these natural systems to grow plants that are healthier, more productive, and more attractive. For a better garden and more interesting gardening, read this book.

Jean-Martin Fortier, author, The Market Gardener

Perhaps the most readable gardening book that I have ever read. Full of carefully presented garden practices that are supported by scientific know-how, its fun and informative. What more can I say?

Jeffrey Gillman, author, The Truth About Garden Remedies

The Ever Curious Gardener is a wise and witty book that offers not just the how-to of gardening but also the how come? By showing you the science behind growing plants, it gives you the tools to follow Natures rulesthe only ones that count. What Harold McGee is to the cook, Lee Reich is to the gardener.

Barbara Damrosch, author, The Garden Primer
and The Four Season Farm Gardeners Cookbook

Gardeners in the know wait for books by Lee Reich, and The Ever Curious Gardener shows why. Very few writers combine science, history, and personal observations to produce a great (and humorous) read with so much practical advice quite like Reich. This latest, and hopefully not last book, does not disappoint!

Jeff Lowenfels, author, Teaming with Microbes series

From root to shoot, flower to fruit, here is an essential field guide to the science behind plant cultivation. Chapter by chapter it will steer the gardeners hand and delight the mind at the same time.

Roger B. Swain, Host, PBS-TVs The Victory Garden

There are far too few garden scientists with the ability to write for a popular audience, so thank goodness Lee Reich can do just that! His newest book is full of current, factual information thats of immediate use to gardeners everywhere. Its the perfect excuse to let your curiosity get the better of you.

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, WSU horticulturist and author,
The Informed Gardener series and How Plants Work:
The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do

With The Ever Curious Gardener, Lee Reich presents some of the natural science behind the scenes in the garden. Not in a detached, academic manner, but pragmatically (and sometimes humorously), as it can be applied to make for a better garden and gardener. Read it and reap.

Ron Khosla, Professor Environmental Sciences,
Southern Oregon University, International Consultant to United Nations FAO,
and founder, Huguenot Street Farm

The Ever Curious Gardener cultivates curiosity and brings out everyones inner science nerd. Lee Reichs engaging and authentic style blend science with practical gardening knowledge. Anyone reading these pages is guaranteed to harvest new, insightful knowledge.

Lisa Kivirist, author, Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers
and Homemade for Sale

Copyright 2018 by Lee Reich.
All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh.
Cover images: iStock (mag. glass: 155383741, label paper texture:
483534560, plant diagram: 507214734, sprout: 511977848,
plant cells: 578118802, bee on squash blossom: 599702254,
squash plant: 813245542.jpg)
All interior photos Lee Reich unless otherwise credited.

Printed in Canada. First printing March 2018.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of The Ever Curious
Gardener should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address
below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North
America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
(250) 247-9737

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Reich, Lee, author
The ever curious gardener : using a little natural science
for a much better garden / by Lee Reich; illustrations by Vicki
Herzfeld Arlein.

Includes index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-86571-882-1 (softcover).ISBN 978-1-55092-675-0 (PDF).
ISBN 978-1-77142-270-3 (EPUB)

1. Gardening. I. Herzfeld Arlein, Vicki, illustrator II. Title.

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute
in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and
just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the
environment, in a manner that models this vision.

DEDICATION

To my father, Joseph Reich,

who early on encouraged me to be

curiouser and curiouser .

A number of people helped bring this book to fruition. Helpful comments, corrections, and suggestions were offered by Bob Arlein, Janna Beckerman, Sara Gast, Genevieve Reich, Drew Waddelow, Deb Goldman, and David Weisberger. The idea for the one sentence summaries, la Tom Jones, that introduce each chapters subsections was sparked by Peter Mayer. Special thanks go to Vicki Herzfeld Arlein for her many insightful comments on text and design, as well as for her artful and lucid illustrations.

I feel especially lucky to have worked with New Society Publishers. Thanks to Rob West and Ingrid Witvoet for getting the ball rolling, Sue Custance for keeping the ball rolling, Greg Green for the design process, and EJ Hurst for marketing. I appreciate editor Ian le Cheminants untiring attention to detail as well as his technical and artistic command of the language.