Easy Compost: The Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants (Brooklyn Botanic Garden 21st-Century Gardening Series)

1997, trade paperback edition, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn, NY. 112 pages. Note: This is a quarterly publication, winter issue, handbook number 153 from the press. Sub-title tells exactly what this booklet is about: Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants. Beautiful illustrations / photos throughout. 14 brief essays by experts in the field.

Firmly grounded in the motto, "Feed the soil, not the plant," each essay in this well-balanced collection, part of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 21st-Century Gardening Series, presents a particular perspective on the composting habit: from the ancient Athenians to microbiology, from outdoor piles to indoor worm bins, from the whys to the hows of managing nature's decomposition. The information is always practical and pertinent, never superfluous or daunting. Grace Gershuny's essay, "Nourishing the Earth that Nourishes Us," explains how compost adds soluble nutrients slowly, releases insolubles locked-up in the soil, allows necessary water and air to pass through soil and fights pests and diseases. Benjamin Grant's "What Happens in the Bin" gets up close to the "no-see-ems"--the invisible chain of decomposers that will work double-time if gardeners add water and air. "Making Humus in Small Spaces," by Patricia Jasaitis, includes balcony composting and burying kitchen scraps directly in the garden, while Rod Tyler's "A Buyer's Guide" to commercially available products helps gardeners who "need a lot of compost quickly." This is an indispensable introduction to composting for gardeners--whether they manicure houseplants on the windowsill or ride a tractor around a truck garden.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.