It can be difficult for the gardener to understand what is going on in the soil and why various recommendations are given for fertilizer, organic matter, watering, and so on. If you want to know how much fertilizer to use for gardening, you will find information about cations, organic and inorganic forms of nutrients, and much other information that is of little use to the typical gardener except in interpreting soil testing results. Even getting soil tested really does not help the gardener to understand how the soil came to be in the condition it is, or why certain recommendations are given. The subject of soil quality, health, and fertility is very complex, but the material in this book, obtained from many sources, should help the gardener to have a general grasp of such topics as are necessary for a deeper understanding of good gardening practices. Material that is easy to understand and that can be obtained from many other sources, is largely omitted from this presentation.