As veg. growers, I think Joy Larkcom et alia are excellent technicians and first-rate teachers of the practicalities, but Flowerdew's an artist and a writer of passionate, inspirational prose.
( I THINK I know what I mean!).
Talking about commercial chemical fertilisers, in particular N,P,K:
"These used to be thought of as plant foods replacing the elements taken away by the crop. And while these elements do exist as similar chemicals in the soil solution, it is not natural to have them in very high concentrations as in conventional fertiliser granules. This simplistic chemical idea is a bit like feeding your kids cooking oil, sugar, and flour; they'd do better with it cooked and mixed with other things. Well, we can make feeds from natural ingredients that provide a proper feast for our plants rather than just a few elements." From "The Gourmet Gardener". I like that!
From the same book: "To eat a ripe peach comfortably, you should need a bib. Such a degree of sweetly perfumed but near-liquid pleasure can be obtained only from a fresh sun-warmed fruit eaten immediately right beside the tree!" Sensuous stuff from a bloke in love with his subject, I think! Due back to the library tomorrow but I think I'll have a look on eBay!