How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System: Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables (Back-To-B
Author
Kelly Smith
Publisher
Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
3 Review Copies Left
Some of the best fertilizer on the planet can be made with your very own garbage. Starting with something as simple as coffee grounds a top composting product and including all of your old banana peels, bread crusts, and leftover meals, you can start creating a garden with your food waste from scratch, using the age old secret of composting to build a healthy, happy garden. Knowing the necessary steps to building and cultivating a compost bin will help anyone with a garden no matter its size cut down on waste, save money on fertilizer, and have fun learning more about the cycle all biodegradable matter goes through. This book provides a detailed outline of how anyone with a little extra space and a garden can start composting today to build their garden from scratch into a thriving jungle of roots, herbs, and vegetables. You will learn about all of the different ways that composting can be helpful to you, as well as the different reasons why people choose to compost and what you and your vegetables might best benefit from when you decide to make the leap and start composting yourself. You will learn how decomposition works and what the ideal conditions are for decomposition. You will learn which compostable materials are around you right now, from the coffee grounds in your coffee maker to the old fruit in your crisper. Learn about the different kinds of activators and how they get the process started as well as the different composting materials used by home gardeners and professional composters alike dozens of which have been interviewed for this book. You will be walked through the process of recognizing and using the end product as effectively as possible. You will be walked through how you can effectively take your end product and start using it for various different vegetable types in your garden. Finally, you will be walked through the process of recognizing and using the end product as effectively as possible. For anyone who has ever considered composting as a viable means by which to feed their gardens, this book is for you.
Reviews
In this book, Kelly Smith makes composting accessible to anyone who is interesting. From indoor systems for those who live in apartments or condominiums to larger systems for those who want large amounts of healthy fertilizer for gardens, you can find the answers you need by reading the book.
The contents balance the science you need to succeed with layman’s terms so the process is easy to manage. She provides plans on building different styles of composting systems along with many helpful tables. The tables provide quick reference to the nutrient balance of different ingredients, the qualities of different systems, and many other topics.
You don’t have to read the book cover to cover to get the answers you want. In fact, Ms. Smith designed the book so that you can read the first couple chapters as your baseline and then skip around to the information you need for wherever you are at in the composting process.
One of my favorite sections covers the myths of composting. Starting on page 23 you’ll hear many of the common things people believe about preparing your own compost that simply aren’t true. For example, I simply did not know that while earthworms are great in the garden, they aren’t a good choice for an intense process like focused composting. This is just one myth that is dispelled making it easier for each person to get started, large or small, with their own composting projects.
As with everything I’ve seen from Atlantic Publishing, the book is laid out well and the print is a pleasant size to read. I’m sure like many others I’ve read and recommended, you’ll find this book a great addition to your gardening resources. No doubt you’ll refer to it repeatedly over the years and get exceptional value for your investment in “How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System.”
Reviewed on 11/11/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Heidi Roth
As the ‘green’ movement moves to mainstream life, many people ask the question, ‘What more can I do to reduce my carbon footprint and help the environment?’ Enter composting! Author Kelly Smith gives the ‘whys’, ‘hows’, and ‘wheres’ in her new book (which is printed on recycled paper), “How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System: Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables”.
“How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System” is an organized and comprehensive discussion on all things compostable. Smith begins by introducing the beginner to the subject with vivid descriptions and lots of possibilities. The benefits as well as potential issues are also discussed as well as myths and answers to a myriad of questions. She also gives plenty of options that range from the inexpensive set ups to store bought systems. Sidebar articles from people who compost regularly are also included to give readers various viewpoints on the subject. Further, the extensive appendices offer helpful sources for additional reading, finding others in your community that also compost, a glossary of terms, and places to purchase composting items.
I found the book to be exceptionally thorough on what goes into composting. There was probably more than I’ve ever thought I’d want to know but reading from the perspective of someone with no background or knowledge on the subject, it was a perfect introduction. Smith’s clear descriptions as well as her pictures assisted greatly in understanding what exactly she was trying to convey while her obvious passion got me excited about starting a compost pile of my own. I especially liked the included building plans for an enclosed system; I think this is something many people - who wouldn’t otherwise want an open pile of decaying matter in their yard - would be extremely interested in having. She not only takes the concept of ‘living green’ into account but aesthetics as well.
Good for the environment, less garbage trucked to landfills, readymade fertilizer for your garden – these are all benefits from the simple act of composting. Large yard or small plot and even no yard at all, “How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System: Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables” gives you the down and dirty on how to get started and do your part!
Reviewed on 08/30/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Vicki Landes
