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Free PDF Book: The Ideal Soil by Michael Astera
If you’re serious about understanding soil, not just what to add, but why it works, The Ideal Soil by Michael Astera is one of those foundational resources you’ll come back to again and again.
The best part?
It’s been available for free across the internet for years, and we’ve made it easy to grab right here.
This book dives deep into mineral soil balancing and is a classic source of truth.
Why We’re Sharing This
On January 27th, 2024, we taught a class at the Montrose Soil Conference, and The Ideal Soil came up repeatedly during the discussion. After the class, a ton of people asked for:
The book
The class handout
So instead of emailing links one by one, we’re putting everything in one place.
If you attended the class... awesome.
If you didn’t, you’re still getting the full value.
Free Resources from the Montrose Soil Conference
Below are the exact materials we shared and referenced during the class.
📄 Class Handout
If you didn’t receive the printed handout (or want a digital copy), you can download it here:
👉 Download the Class Handout (PDF)
This includes key concepts, diagrams, and notes we walked through during the presentation.
📘 The Ideal Soil — Free PDF Book
This is the full book, available as a downloadable PDF:
👉 Download The Ideal Soil by Michael Astera (PDF)
If you want to better understand:
Soil structure and aggregation
The soil food web
Mineral balance and biology
Long-term soil health vs short-term inputs
This book is absolutely worth your time.
Our Recommendation
Don’t just skim it.
Read it once to understand the big picture, then revisit sections as your experience grows. The concepts in The Ideal Soil pair perfectly with living soil practices and explain why regenerative methods work so well when done correctly.
If you’re building soil for the long haul, this is excellent nerdy reading.
Enjoy the resources, and happy growing
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$60.00
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