Anne Biklé and David Montgomery were astonished by what they discovered after feeding their failing soil with organic matter. Due to the stimulating microbes that live beneath the surface, the garden flourished. Then, when Biklé was diagnosed with cancer, the couple had an idea...

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The best word to describe Anne Biklé and David Montgomery's garden would be 'Juicy,' a word to use even in the dying days of autumn.

According to The Guardian, dewy grass, emerald green, a vegetable patch where leafy kale grows tall and arugula nestles low; trees and shrubs, cork bark maple, wax myrtle and Persian ironwood - screening the area from passersby and a late-flowering rhododendron bearing plump red blooms.

The remarkable journey of the two into another world was led by this oasis, one that exists below our feet and is run by microbes, creatures invisible to the naked eye.

Their plan was nearly thwarted by the very thing that makes it so lush today: the soil. If this had happened, the garden in the barren backyard of their new house in north Seattle would not be there today. It had been damaged by glacial till, small golf-ball-size rocks packed in hard clay left by glaciers many years ago.

Obsessively, Biklé layered compost on the beds and they were surprised that their new plants grew rapidly and abundantly. But Biklé's background in biology and Montgomery experience in geomorphology simply made them unsatisfied to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, GecoPham reported.

They were surprised at the speed of change and began poring over scientific researches to understand why. The two kept rethinking not only about how they viewed soil, but also - prompted by Biklé being diagnosed with cancer - human health, medicine and agriculture. The thoughts came as a result of finding out about microbes and how they turned compost into a smörgåsbord of other nutrients for the growing plants. Their goal of discovery is recorded in The Hidden Half of Nature, a book they wrote together, it will be out in the UK this week.

Biklé says that it all began 15 years ago when they bought their house. He reportedly had big-time garden lust and had been going on garden tours, looking at books and dreaming of the day they would do their own.

Biklé puts it that medicine and agriculture are the hallmarks of humanity and human are failing to realize what they could do for themselves if they better supported the microbial foundation. It's mind-blowing to them.

TagsSecret to Good Health, Anne Biklé, David Montgomery, The Hidden Half of Nature, Anne Biklé and David Montgomery