I have bought several of the above books and have just started looking at this way to 'tend the earth around me.' We have different issues up here but there is a local group to help with things 'alaskan.' Just in the few chapters I have read in Gaia's Garden I have come up with an idea to push back the horsetail that started invading my garden last year. I think the answer is mulch and planting ground covers and vegies between my flowers. I think it invaded due to depleted soil and lots of open tilled ground. I am determined to push it back now by addressing planting and tending methods rather than brush killer and pulling (which is a fruitless task anyway.)
