Compost

This may be the first nonfiction book I ever read all the way through. It's not long, but it's very informative. And can I overemphasize? it's EASY, EASY, EASY. The lady that said it was confusing, it's really not. It's true that he waffles a bit on woody waste, but that's where you have to make the most decisions about whether or not to use the waste and how much to use. He wants you to think before you act. The bottom line is, avoid using gobs of it in your compost but a little bit (especially shredded) is OK. If you have lots of it, make a separate pile for it. It will just take longer to break down. What he does is take the MYSTERY of composting and simplify it so that anyone can do it. Patience is his motto. Eventually you'll get compost. He tells you how to use crumpled paper and "green" waste (like kitchen scraps and lawn clippings) to make compost. No need to worry about turning the pile ever; no need to add stuff you have to buy at the nursery. He recommends some kind of bin, but even straight on the ground, eventually you'll get compost. He also makes the subject fun to read about. Like the part about worm farms--for pet lovers only, he says. If you wouldn't want to raise hamsters or rabbits, don't raise worms. I have always been deterred by complicated composting instructions before. I'm not an avid gardener, but the current economic situation is changing my mind and practices. Now I feel like I can start composting all this junk I used to cram into the trash can.

Just picked up this book yesterday afternoon and had it finished today. It's an easy quick read and a great introduction to composting. If you are looking at composting your garden and kitchen waste and are just getting started this is for you. Even if you have been doing it a while you will have a better understanding of which ingredients work best and why.

After reading this book I had a simple plan to start my own compost pile. What was refreshing was a lack of endorsements for specific products, and the beautiful pictures provided. Now I know how to compost!

I was thoroughly excited when I received my copy of this book through the mail. Having not been able to find it in the local book stores, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. The design/layout and content exceeded my expectations. Previously, I hadn't been able to get through the huge books I had on the subject which looked like they were from the 80's. This book however, is thoroughly modern. The pictures and typography make it interesting and a quick read. My only complaint was that it seemed a bit disorganized, the author kept referring to things and would refer to them later in a different example and it was a bit confusing, if not contradictory. Perhaps we just organize our thoughts in different ways. For example, he repeatedly talks about woody waste, in about ten or fifteen different instances and can't seem to make up his mind on exactly how he feels. I understand that the decision to use this type of material is dependent on many other factors, which he explains, but it would have been more helpful to me, if he had said five pages on woody waste all at once rather than the one page he has specifically devoted to it and four others spread throughout the book. That said, it is probably the best organized and most user-friendly book available on the subject.