Composting for a New Generation

This "how to" book on composting will be great for the beginning composter, even those folks who just want to compost their kitchen scraps indoors. It's written at an easy reading level, yet contains lots of helpful information for the more experienced composter. Nice diagrams, tables and photos help to break up the text and provide visual guides. The text is also interspersed with quotations from famous individuals and feature boxes.
Methods range from simple kitchen compost bins to traditional compost bins to lesser-known methods such as the English trench method, African Keyhole methods, or Hugelkultur.
My only critique is that the author at times goes fast and loose with the science without really using it correctly. For instance, she uses the phrase "science proves..." That turns me (as a scientist) off. But, I do like her list of resources at the end of the book--a good set of science-based articles.

This book is fantastically designed. The details and pictures are very helpful. Anyone wanting to start a compost or work with composting will find everything they need in this book. It is helpful as well as inspiring to others to help them start this project. Great read, perfect instruction and I recommend it.

I have composted for a long time, but this book offered some new ideas towards this most efficient use of kitchen discards. Vermicomposting and Hugelkultur, and especially the African keyhole gardens, a new one for me, and one I am trying right now. A valuable addition to your gardening library.

Well written. Very thorough summary of a variety of compost methods. Perfect for a new composter or anyone looking to compost in a new way.

Not that I love to play in decomposing matter but it's end product is God's gift to gardeners. Michelle Balz's Composting for a New Generation was an interesting and educational read. I would love to gift this to several of my green thumbed friends who buy their compost from the local landfill and especially to that one who brings theirs home in plastic bags from the chain store garden center. (Shame on you!) The idea I like the most and hope to create this year is the small scale community plan. Some of our neighbors don't have an area suitable for a composting station or a tractor for the heavy work but they do have needy gardens. It would fit perfectly and will be nice to have help in keeping it turned until it makes us some brown gold. Two of us are building greenhouses this year also and wish to add worm beds right into the greenhouse for year round vermicompost. I appreciate the easy to follow, step by step directions interspaced with valuable knowledge on each type of composting and found it to be worthy of a space in my bookshelves.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

A useful book for all gardeners – this covers the science behind decomposition as well as techniques and methods for composting. When I started reading, I was in two minds whether I liked the informal (“come to the party”) tone of the book, but as I continued, I found that the chatty style made it a very easy and enjoyable read. It was never condescending; the author’s enthusiasm for sharing her extensive knowledge and determination to encourage all to reduce waste was a delight.
The book covers everything to do with composting; including detailed charts on what can go into your compost bin/heap, types of composters and how to use the finished compost.
Detailed instructions and clear photographs accompany the many DIY projects associated with composting that are included in the book.

Composting for the New Generation is a perfect book to get started in composting. It explains the different types of composters, the materials required to make the best compost and when and how to harvest it.

This book contains 8 chapters with the first three being dedicated to an introduction, science and the basics, such as tools needed. The other chapters explain where to put the compost bin, or using trenches, how to build various bins yourself, explains vermicomposting and harvesting.

The introduction contains information on soil layers, and the benefits of composting, apart from the lovely compost it makes - reducing waste at the landfill sites and improving soil are just two examples. The science chapter goes on to explain which creepie crawlies like the compost and that they should arrive by themselves. The 3 phases of decomposition is explained, alongside which materials provide carbon and nitrogen that a compost needs. Finally, there is a chapter on the basics which includes the tools required to get you started and what you can and can't put in the compost - vacuum dust is something that can be included along with small rodent droppings from any pets you may have. Cotton buds minus the plastic is also something that can be included.

The Maintenance chapter explains where to place your compost bin and how to get it started with the right material, including how to add air with aerator or certain materials and that it needs water. There are tips on how to avoid bad odours & other troubleshooting problems. It also explains hot composting, how to maintain in the winter and when to harvest the compost. An overview calendar of what to do each season is also supplied.

The Techniques chapter provides a number of projects on how to make you own compost bins, from using old trash cans to making your own tumbler. Each project comes with the materials needed to build it, the tools and pictures of how to go about it. There is a table with the advantages and disadvantages of each bin type..

Integrated composting explains a few other methods such as how to bury food in ground directly for the worms, trench composting, leaving grass cuttings on the grass, how to make African keyhole garden and moving compost heaps

Vermicomposting will be popular with the children as its all about having a wormery. It explains how to build your own & the type of worms required (not the gardens ones!) and what you can & can't put in there, Being worms its not as easy to retrieve the compost so gives tips on how to harvest the compost and troubleshooting the wormery.

Finally the Harvesting of that lovely compost. This chapter provides details on how to obtain the compost from each type of bin and what to do with it.

There is a helpful flow chart in appendix A to help you decide which method is best for you and Appendix B includes compost recipes.

Overall this is a great book for a beginner in composting, explaining all the different types of bins and how to put the correct materials in the bin. I will certainly be layering my own compost bin differently in the future so I get better compost from it and have learnt loads about composting that I had not considered before. Composting is like baking a cake, the right ingredients need to go in, in the right order and the right quantity, otherwise it's not very good!

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Review: Composting for a New Generation Will Get You Excited About Composting — Really!

If you’ve always wanted to compost but didn’t know where to start, or if you’ve been composting for years but want to switch up your methods, a great new book has you covered.Composting for a New Generation: Latest Techniques for the Bin and Beyond

Michelle Balz’s Composting for a New Generation: Latest Techniques for the Bin and Beyond is a phenomenal book to answer any questions you could possibly think up about composting, and a couple of hundreds you probably couldn’t think of.

I got the opportunity to read a digital version recently and didn’t expect to get much out of it. We’ve been using a compost ball (sort of like this one but without the base so you just roll it on the ground to turn) for a few years and I’m just not that happy with the results. It’s heavy and while I love the idea of just rolling it around to turn the compost, that doesn’t really work once it’s fairly full of veggie scraps, garden waste, soil, water and developing compost (at least not for 5 foot tall me). So I was really looking for some new ideas and was pleasantly surprised to come back with far more than I expected.

This is a gorgeous book, full of full color photographs, detailed instructions, charts, projects and helpful hints. It features all different kinds of compost piles, bins and plans, and information on everything related to compost.

What’s really surprising is that the book is so fun. The author is so passionate and likeable that her enthusiasm is contagious, and it’s honestly a just plain enjoyable read.

Chapters include information on composting basics, the science of composting, types of compost bins, vermiculture (worm composting), maintaining and using your compost and much more. There are also lots of plans to make all kinds of composters of your own, along with information on great principles like keyhole gardens, which use a central sort of compost pile with a built up garden around it.

I really enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it to anybody wanting to get started composting or improve their compost situation and skills. You can find it online at sites like Amazon, order it through your local book store or request it through your local library.

My partner and I have recently taken on an allotment in England and we have been steadily learning all we neeed to know to make ourselves more sustainable. This was a big help when it came to composting and how we could make it easier, as cheap as possible and as effective as we could.

#CompostingForAnewGeneration #NetGalleyFrance #NetGalley

The is a most in any library of a type of gardener and sustainable person. The recipes and process are clear, useful and easy to reproduce.

I built a keyhole garden this spring, and this book has been helpful to teach me how I can do things differently next growing season. There are many things I can do better, and things I can put into the compost that I didn't even think of. I had great success with my garden produce this year, so I'm excited to try some new things to make it even better next spring.

I already have a worm compost bin, but this book has so much more! I especially enjoyed reading about keyhole gardens.