Book Review: Lessons In Nature

First of all a thanks is due to Gardening in Converse for his prior review of this book which enticed me to read. I will attempt to offer my own thoughts without duplicating his.

Malcom Beck (the author) has lived at the forefront of the organic movement for most of his life. This book is as much a memoir of trial and error as it is a series of short vignettes on a variety of garden oriented subjects. In that regard it bears similarity to another work "The One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka. The similarity does not end there, in fact barring a likely language barrier I think the two men might find decades of common ground on which to discuss. I would even go so far as to say that as Fukuoka is to Buddhist farming, Beck is to "western faith" gardening. While Beck makes no mention of the specifics of his particular faith, evident in some of his axioms are the need for trust in the providence of and thanks for the blessings of God. I would safely assume that he probably speaks from a Christian perspective given some other clues.

At the risk of venturing into rarely walked territory in the sustainability arena I'd like for a moment to explore perhaps how where I believe his faith has informed his technique. His respect for (though begrudging at time) pests from both the plant and animal kingdom resonates clearly the idea expressed in the Genesis account that all of creation is good and there for to some degree necessary. "bad bugs" seemed predisposed to select and feed upon weak plants. Disease, infestation and weeds while detrimental to the short term goal of this season's harvest are necessary to the long term survival of the plant species. Certain weeds prefer and even correct certain soils. Insect pests exist to such that when their numbers are kept in check by other natural factors, they are only capable of suppressing plants which are ill suited to pass on their genes to the next generation. As was made famous in the song there is a time for every purpose. Beck displays a rare patience when discussing the notion of cover crops, if I'm not mistaken growing green manures for seven seasons to improve deficient soil before planting a single carrot.

And just as Fukuoka and Beck might come from different backgrounds and different perspectives, their conclusions are nearly identical. Both have observed over many years that the system which closest duplicates natural conditions is the system which shines brightest. Corrections to any system should only be aimed a restoring a balance rather and completely eliminating or creating an abundance of certain factors. Corrections to the system should be as closest to natural conditions as possible, i.e. using rock phosphate instead of refined "super-phosphate" or adding a large number of predatory insects to correct for a large number of pest insects rather than spraying a pesticide.

Beck advises and I'm sure Fukuoka would agree that when intervention is required as in the case of applying acetic acid to prevent root suckers in a vineyard, that the proposed solution have a very specific intended effect, be composed of simple and organic components, and should not incur a long term effect on the system. Long term solutions to any problem for both men lie almost exclusively in the improvement of the soil.


In summary this is not a book full of "new information" Anyone interested in the subject by now knows that compost is necessary, that organic methods are intrinsically more successful in the long term, that patience and careful observation are what truly builds great gardens. We have all learned this by now, but after reading "Lessons in Nature" I feel I now understand it.

I can definitely without caveat recommend this book, there are a few tips and trick, but the real value lies in the message. Borrow it or buy it, either way...read it.