Secrets to great soil A grower's guide to composting, mulching, and creating healthy, fertile soil for your garden and lawn

Stell starts with an analysis of soil: how it was formed, its different textures, its structure, and the importance of drainage and earthworms. She explains how to create fertile soil with the help of nutrients and organic matter and what hand tools are needed to cultivate the soil--trowels, hoes, spades, shovels, weeders, forks, rakes, etc., as well as power tools such as shredders, trimmers, mowers, rototillers, and cultivators. There's a chapter on making and using compost and how to construct composting bins, a chapter on the use of mulches, and one on choosing and using fertilizers. Another chapter gives data on starting a new garden and deals with raised beds, sunken beds, slopes, and terraces. This latest volume in Storey's Gardening Skills Illustrated series contains 300 detailed color drawings. --George Cohen