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

Review

Backyard composting can be almost a religious topic among serious gardeners, so it's no surprise that Smith & Hawken has chosen it for the subject of one of their exceedingly thorough single-subject gardening guides. Composting is for the gardener who likes information to be presented economically but completely. It explains the difference between simple and managed composting, the essential how-tos of each, sources for composting bins and tools, compost problem-solving, and the benefits and use of the rich results (which, if properly managed, can be ready in as little as three weeks), in just over 100 short, readable pages, illustrated with line drawings. A list of compost substitutes and a complete index finish the book off neatly. It's as useful a guide to improving the soil as the home gardener is likely to find anywhere.

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.

Edition details

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