Smith & Hawken: Hands On Gardener: Composting (Smith & Hawken the Hands-On Gardener) - Softcover

Ball, Liz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0761107320 ISBN 13: 9780761107323

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, 1998

Synopsis

Composting begins with the least-maintenance method--pile up dead leaves and grass trimmings in a corner of the yard and let nature do its work--and graduates to those methods that require more involvement but also yield greater and faster results. It covers materials suitable for compost; how to achieve the proper balance of carbon, nitrogen, water, and air for fastest decomposition; how to monitor and adjust the pileís heat; as well as common problems and what to do about them.

About this title

About the Author

Liz Ball is the author and photographer of eight garden books, including Rodale's Garden Problem Solver series. Her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous catalogs, magazines and books. A regional director of the Garden Writers' Association of America, she lives and gardens outside Philadelphia, PA.

From the Back Cover

SMITH & HAWKEN

THE HANDS-ON GARDENER

A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR BACKYARD COMPOSTING

Offering a wealth of both practical and technical information, here is a thorough, step-by-step program for getting the most out of composting, no matter how much time is spent. Including:

Simple or Managed Letting Nature run its course, or hurrying decomposition. Materials to use, materials to avoid. Fine-tuning the carbon/nitrogen ratio. Year-round compost production.

Equipment Bins, boxes, and the Biostack. The "red wiggler" composting worm. Shredders and loppers, sieves and sifters.

Reaping the Benefits How to improve soil texture, provide nutrition, adjust soil chemistry, fight plant diseases and pests, and discourage weeds.

Problem-Solving If the pile begins to smell. Critters and bugs. Too wet or too dry.

Liz Ball has been both the author and photographer for numerous garden books, including Rodale Press's Garden Problem Solver series. She also serves as a regional director of the Garden Writer's Association of America.

From the Inside Flap

Compost is "black gold." Whether you passively keep a pile in the corner of the yard or actively manage a series of bins, creating and using the compost is the gardener's best method for tending the soil's health.

Fully illustrated throughout, Composting begins with the least time-consuming method-which produces compost in a year or two-and graduates to active techniques that turn out a usable compost in six to eight weeks. It covers materials suitable for compost (both "brown" and "green"); how to achieve a proper balance of carbon, nitrogen, air, and water for the fastest and most efficient decomposition; and how to employ compost in the most effective ways-as topdressing for lawn and garden; as soil-enrichment for a new bed; and as a medium for seedlings.

Edition details

• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0761107320
• ISBN 13: 9780761107323
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 106