The authors Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin teach the reader how to save on work by designing gardens that have the compost bin incorporated into it.

This thought process is a task management choice venturing away from the idea of hiding compost piles in back corner alcoves, and behind garage and other out buildings set too far away from the garden; cutting off easy access to compost use.

The authors outline which plants to have near what kinds of compost since these plants benefit the most by being near too the compost process.

This Six-Way composting system is outline page after page in full detail for the reader.

The book also teaches how to arrange the piles as close together as possible, while keeping the garden looking fresh, clean, and edible.

For those who need a refresher, the authors explain what types of house matter create what kind of compost, and compost infusers to make the compost pile create the right nutrients for its own health, and the health of your plants after the period of compost application.

The book details regular compost moisture management, and nitrate balance to make sure that the beneficial bacteria are as healthy as possible.

The authors remind those of use who are resource rich, that it is not necessary to buy a spendy item. And that home made in this case does not mean poor quality. The book reminds the reader of child like creativity that can get lost in the quick access commercial world.

They continue to review how to create what they refer too as gardeners gold. This is done through the adding of diverse biodegradable nutrient infusing material for composting.

The sixth process they review is actually a full circle round to the beginning of the process. This means that they review how to determine what the soil needs to support the plant life that will produce this years fruits, vegetables, flower edibles, and greens.

The Complete Compost Gardening Guide has awesome insights on ways of learning what the experts do, so that you don’t have to spend years, even decades recreating the proverbial wheel. Rather trade that in for getting it right the first time this year with this great book.

This term is a buzz term that has caught on from the study of below ground food web.

For the sake of study the below ground food web was defined separately from the observations of the above ground food web.

The soil food web is thus a term created from the study of the below ground food web.

This term is dualistically connected to below ground biofilters, or living filters in idea. However, the soil food web is a term derived from the study of how nutrition is moved around. Thatmeans that the process of information and application of it is slightly divergent from the two terms biofilter and living filter, although they relatively overlap in concept. The translation from one research perspective to the other is not exact.

Looking at this same phenomenon from the perspective of nutrients being broken down for composting and ultimately gardening, or the preservation of the environment, (for removal of ammonia in saltwater environments, the breakdown of substances by thermos bacteria into nitrates with the idea of for the benefit of one project or species study, rather than the overall view in general), is the relative or even super-relative difference between the terms soil [below ground] food web, biofilters, and living filters.

Arguably, the human stomach that isnt buried could be considered apart of the above ground food web, and a biofilter/ living filter. Its all a matter of where the subject starts and where it is going.

The soil food web talks about how nutrition is moved about in the soil.

The soil food web is a big part of the underground food web thought process, but it is only a section of the underground food web if the sub-straights were graphed on a pie chart.

At this point it is fitting to repeat that soil food web is made up of detritus, microbes, bacteria, and fungi. The most ample supply of nutrition is decaying plants and animals.
The greatest beneficiaries are the microbes, bacteria and fungi. Others are entomopathogenic nematodes, and their victims the nematodes.

It goes without assuming that if you are reading you most likely already know this.

This concept of observing the link between consumers, rather than how the byproduct reaches a particular relative state or location, has over ten thousand species, which include many types of micro-arthropods, as-well-asone billion bacteria in a gram of dirt. This fact has become common knowledge and is widely accepted.

These creatures exist in microscale environments. These vary diverse environments exist in-between soil particulate.

Over very short distances the distinction between degrees of pH, poor dimension and size variation, and moisture environments can differ immensely.

Food web diagrams best show the correlative nature of what research has been able to determine as the nutrient path through the soil food web to other under ground food webs; or crossing into the creatures of the above ground food web; its atmospheres and environments.

Much of all food webs are fueled by plant material or the photosynthesis of plants, photosynthetic bacteria, lichens, moss and algae.

Bacteria consume and process root extracts, and residue of plantae material.

Fungi utilize discarded plant fibers as-well-as humus colloids.

The soil food web is an interesting way to approach biofilters from a different end goal in the mind set of the soil food web study method.

Many of the products that industry has produced since the revolution of the 19^thcentury have come to damage our planet beyond anything ever even imagined, and the time has come for us to take on our role as stewards of the land in a self-reliant and sustainable fashion that produces some form of bioremediation.

Composting is something natural and part of the way mother nature intended for mammals to rid themselves of their own organic wastes, it is also part of the life and death cycle of all living things, including those things in bodies of water, not just on land.

What makes most people cringe at the idea of doing industrial composting is usually the odor management systems or atmospheric dispersion, and they really are challenges for any human settlements above the size of small village.

Which is an excellent reason to use modern engineering to solve issues like odor when referring to industrial sized composting, since it is a field developed to find solutions to practical challenges.

It isnt impossible to make an industrial sized compost heap refrain from smelling, just as it isnt impossible to keep a landfill from smelling, but practically speakinganyone who has actually been to a landfill knows the truth about the nature of decaying odors and how little the city seems to care.

The days of the landfill are counted as our culture grows and we realize the importance of energy conservation, but it will take the expertise of people with passion and insight into the practical ways of doing things that will make that future truly sustainable.

This 717-page hardcover, written by Roger Tim Haug, published by CRC in July of 1993, measures 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.8 and ships at 3.2 lbs.

Understanding process, analysis, kinetic principles, thermodynamics, chemicals, physical aspects and basic biology, all unified into an analytical approach with a brief history of composting systems and modern techniques.

Compost Engineering has something for students, researchers,scientists, plant operators, engineers and practitioners looking for a more sustainable civilization that is self-reliant and gives back to the earth.

Raising worms, raising them in your garden, in your vermicomposting bin on the thirty-sixth floor of a downtown high-rise or even as a business are all becoming popular trends in recent years, and with the market deciding that the time is ripe for such a topic, certain books that actually make the difference begin to stand out over time, The Worm Book is one of these.

The duo Nancarrow and Taylor really know their stuff, and they approached worm keeping from an easy to grasp, all-around most relevantpoint of view almost a decade ago, and their insight blended with passion, still makes sense today, offering a quick access to the dos and donts of this fine art in a thin manual that is easy to read.

This 152-page paperback written by Loren Nancorrow and Janet Hogan Taylor (authors of Dead Snails Leave No Trails), was first published for all ages by Ten Speed Press in March of 1998, measuring 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5, it ships at only 8 ounces.

The Worm Book: The Complete Guide to Worms in Your Garden shows how to use worms, gives detailed insight into anatomy, building worm bins, composting, better foods, raising worms and even making the garden worm-friendly; this is the perfect text-book for classroom projects in vermiculture.

In the 20^th Century, we learned so many ways to increase the quality of foods, by destroying pests with chemicals and pesticides, but yet these methods can be so detrimental to our environment as well as our own health; there are more profound ways to deal with healthy supply and healthy demand of agriculture, if only we look to natures stomach, worms.

Instead of tilling, why not let Mother Nature do the tilling? Treated properly, worm populations can do all the tilling the soil needs, helping roots expand and increasing yields dramatically throughout the season.

By simply providing food sources near the surface of the field regularly, the field is transformed into a giant vermicomposting operation, where the worms live in their natural habitat, till soil, produce quality worm castings right where the plants need them and help increase yields more than expensive fertilizers can.

Compost tea is an excellent alternative to pesticides and will not harm the worms or people, but will make bugs look to other places to feed.

Provide them with a place to escape the intense conditions above ground, yet a healthy food supply near the roots where their castings will do the most good, always in the same place, and you will be sure to create a worm-friendly crop that needs no-tilling.

This 112-page paperback, written by David Ernst, published by Lessiter in June of 1995, measuring 9 x 5.7 x 0.7, ships at only 7.2 ounces.

The Farmers Earthworm Handbook is a manual to help people make their crops more profitable by using earthworms to till and fertilize soil so that roots cangrow deeper, stronger and create some of the most dramatic yields ever.

There isnt much to the concepts of living out in the country, but there is a whole lot that country living can teach those that find themselves trapped below the spiraling concrete and plexiglass of urban landscapes that seem to go on and on; composting is a lesson worth learning.

Nick Noyes offers a straightforward method for dealing with our kitchen refuse, garden debris and other organic waste, in a humane and ecologically correct manner that Mother Nature will thank us for.

Step by step, you too can learn to build your very own composter for country or city living, with new or used materials, and just a few basic carpenter skills that read as easily as a cookie recipe.

Single bin, double bin, triple or even quadruple, your needs can be met in this all encompassing book that not only teaches you how to build your veryown composter with what you have on hand, but also how to make the best use of our natural resources, right at home, to produce a simple and powerful garden amendment.

This 32-page paperback published by Storey Publishing, LLC in January of 1995, measurs 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.2, and ships at 1.6 ounces, bringing you the personal freedom and independence from polluting landfills; helping you make a difference today.

Build a composter on your own, by following the simple to understand directions in Easy Composters You Can Build by Nick Noyes, an author that brings the wisdom of country living into your library and hopefully into mainstream knowledge as well, making the future, just that much brighter.

Compost, the natural way to make food for your garden was written by Ken Thompson, a senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield, England, columnist for organic gardening magazines, plant ecologist and author of An Ear to the Ground: Gardens Science for Ordinary Mortals.

You will get to know exactly what to do to get good compost, how and why, even the scientific aspect is all easily grasped with concepts like Carbon:Nitrogen ratios, the role of water content, grass or kitchen waste, fungus, bacteria, worms and especially microorganisms.

Honestly written by a man who knows what the future is all about, low-impact techniques that help our civilization work in harmony with Mother Nature this is a tome of knowledge made specifically for the first time composter, looking to understand this ancient art, as a whole, in search of a more sustainable future, one home at a time…

This 192-page hardcover by DK Publishing, released in February of 2007 measures 7.7 x 6.1 x 1 inches and ships at 1.2 pounds.

Composting from home to home, learning just a little more about how our planet works, why and what the ecological values are behind doing-it-yourself is basically what makes Compost, the natural way to make food for your garden such an amazing book, so much in fact that it has even been marketed as The gardener’s essential compost and recycling bible.

This book brings the expertise and life experiences of successful organic farmer CEO Malcolm Beck as well as the remarks of Acres USA publishings Charles Walters (specialist in sustainable farms), to your home library with all the information you need to make your very own compost; making the world we live in, a better tomorrow.

What happens inside compost? How does it do what it does? What are the best kinds of blends of C:N ratios and how can you decide when the time is right to take advantage of your very own black gold?

Malcom Beck puts all his decades of organic farming knowledge and commercially successful composting business secrets into one single volume that shows us what a passionate person can do if they really put their mind to it.

Years of experimenting with a variety of soil compositions went into The Secret Life of Compost, and this 150-page composting treasure comes in paperback or hardcover, published by Acres USA in January of 1997, with the paperback measuring 8.9 x 6x 0.5 and shipping at 10.4 ounces; a valuable edition to any organic gardeners book collection.

Knowing how to compost, and how to compost in such a way that gardeners not only seek you out, end up forcing you into selling your compost pile, just to keep some yourself, it is the truest test of a real pioneer, a test that Malcom Beck has passed with flying colors, and that he now passes on to those of us looking to develop our own sustainable farms; through The Secret Life of Compost.

Conserving water, recycling waste, especially human fecal material, is really the most important step in reducing civilizations carbon footprints, as the most efficient way to deal with our waste, is to follow the simple, basic models, mother earth has given us already.

Are we fish that we would leave our number one and two in the rivers, lakes, streams and oceans, or are we humans, that would be caretakers and proper stewards that would enrich the land?

Nature is a perfection all of its own that we as humans cannot hope to improve; either we choose to model the perfection in natural physics, or we end up destroying that beauty, the choice is ours and sustainable architect Sim Van Der Ryn, has been fighting the cause of Earth Day from the very beginning, and The Toilet Papers is a well researched and insightful argument that people are willing to listen to once again.

Why pollute water, when we can take our organic human wastes and deal with them as Mother Nature intended? Safe, energetically efficient, inexpensive, self-reliance and most of all, very attractive to the human eye, this book is the philosophy of turning organic waste into rich and fertile humus, for ensuring our civilizations well-being without waste and most of all, without harm to nature.

This 124-page paperback was published in august of 1999 by Chelsea Green Publishing, measuring 8 x 4.8 x 0.5 and shipping at 5.6 ounces.

Eco-architect Sim Van Der Ryns The Toilet Papers, offers historical facts and philosophies on the proper recycling of our humanfecal material in the form of dry toilets, how to conserve fresh water, replenish aquifers, biologically filter greywater and do it all with astonishingly superb designs that make the soul soar!

Marcus Cato the elder or the censor was kind of old schoolin his day and represents an excellent example of traditional Roman values in Italy before the onslaught of Greek culture, but to sustainable farmers everywhere, he is a kind of father figure that reinforces the importance of soil fertility and economics in agriculture.

What is good cultivation? Good ploughing. What next? Ploughing. What third? Manuring. Cato De Agri Cultura (61)

The book De Agri Cultura is an ancient text written in Latin prose, the very first Latin to be written in prose in fact and teaches through observations and notations how to take care of a traditional Roman farm, economically.

Meant to be read aloud, and discussed with workers, this book is just about as low-tech as your going to get; the biggest problem with it however, is the use and recommendations concerning slaves. If you can get over that bit, this book is a must read for anybody into low-tech sustainability.

Just imagine for a moment an elderly Roman man, head of his household, once a great General who had fought wars beside his men, dressed as they would dress, would ride as they would ride, eat, sleep and drink as they.

Now he sits, dressed as a simple farm hand, in his study at home, on his olive plantation in the Sabine Territory about 160 years or so before Christ was born after a long hard day of digging manure trenches around olive trees and scrounging for dry leaves and bedding for the animals; quill and ink in hand before a precious piece of parchment, thus his woolen tunic is filled with the smell of work and he writes about life on the farm:

See that you carry out all farm operations betimes, for this is the way with farming: if you are late in doing one thing you will be late in doing everything. If bedding runs short, gather oak leaves and use them for bedding down sheep and cattle. See that you have a large dunghill; save the manure carefully, and when you carry it out, clean it of foreign matter and break it up. Autumn is the time to haul it out. During the autumn also dig trenches around the olive trees and manure them. Cut poplar, elm, and oak leaves betimes; store them before they are entirely dry, as fodder for sheep. Cato De Agri Cultura (5(7-8))

It sounds almost as if he is giving himself, or his great grandchildren, directives to follow upon inheriting the family farm that once belonged to his own grandfather, and his incessant fingers continue in the reverie that will one day be immortalized:

Divide your manure as follows: Haul one-half for the forage crops, and whenyou sow these, if this ground is planted with olives, trench and manure them at this time; then sow the forage crops. Add a fourth of the manure around the trenched olives when it is most needed, and cover this manure with soil. Save the last fourth for the meadows, and when most needed, as the west wind is blowing, haul it in the dark of the moon. Cato De Agri Cultura (29)

Suddenly, a change in the wind and his mind goes out to the vineyard, he remembers how the soil out there had been so lean, and he thinks, What to do? ah, yes:

In an old vineyard sow clover if the soil is lean (do not sow anything that will form a head), and around the roots apply manure, straw, grape dregs, or anything of the sort, to make it stronger. Cato De Agri Cultura (33)

The day seems to be going afoul and a new idea comes to him; that maintaining soil fertility is so important, and yet, composting almost seems to take care of itself, how often should it be done? He thinks, and the quill moves once again with subtle detail:

When the weather is bad and no other work can be done, clear out manure for the compost heap; clean thoroughly the ox stalls, sheep pens, barnyard, and farmstead; and mend wine-jars with lead, or hoop them with thoroughly dried oak wood. Cato De Agri Cultura (39)

What of cypress, it is in much need of yearly fertility is it not? His mind wanders back to the parchment:

Turn the ground with a trench spade where you are going to plant cypress seed, and plant at the opening of spring. Make ridges five feet wide, add well-pulverized manure, hoe it in, and break the clods. Cato De Agri Cultura (48)

And on that same thought:

Manure meadows at the opening of spring, in the dark of the moon. When the west wind begins to blow and you close the dry meadows to stock, clean them and dig up all noxious weeds by the roots. Cato De Agri Cultura (50)

His mind is at peace and the quill stops its immortal motions.

Cato was a wise Roman, one who knew how important is was to keep a lock on time frames and make the best use of both the calendar as well as help allow those who work with you to feel like you are one in the same.

He took frugality to heart, he thought of the Roman farmer as the greatest example of a decent Roman citizen of true roman ideals, roman philosophies and the least of threats to civilizations, but rather, the backbone of it.

Cato knew soils like he knew his army, or the Roman people, he knew their strengths and their weaknesses for which crops at what seasons would need what kind of treatment, and many of his ideas about economy of resources, hold true to this very day.

Cato has left us an example of what low-tech sustainable practices were really like in the second century before Christ for the Roman farmer, and his thoughts eco out such a deep religious understanding of cycles, especially those that speak of soil fertility.

Marcus Cato the elder has preserved for us in De Agri Cultura, what it means to truly be a Roman farmer and respect soil fertility with the religious honors due to the gods.

Mothers and grandmothers will love to read this book to their little girls between the ages of 4 to 8 or even as old as 9. Recommended to anyone seriously looking to educate a child in the ways of vermicomposting at home.

This is a fabulous adventure between a loving mother and her daughter to convert a storage box into a pet home for their new red worms.

More than just how to build and maintain a worm bin, this is a unique family experience that all children (boys and girls alike) will appreciate, done together with a loving adult to create a marking relationship with the earth and how we deal with our waste.

The art of vermicomposting through a grand explanation that is exciting for both children and adults to hear and read, with poetic rhyming couplets that accentuate an already beautiful process.

Written and illustrated by Michelle Eva Portman, hardbound, 6 3/8″ x 8 3/4″ in full color, 42 pages and step by step How To instructions and resources, this was first published in December of 2002 by Flower Press, a company that knows what people really need to be seeing and thinking about to make progress for this nation of ours.

Flower Press, was founded in 1976 by the passed on, yet well remembered and loved Worm Woman Mary Appelhof, who self-published for years to show the world what people really should be thinking about, not what the book industry thought people wanted to read about.

Books by Flower Press keep it real, teaching us not what to sell, but what to do to actually make a difference in the now, with whatever is available.

True to the Flower Press philosophy, Compost, By Gosh goes beyond money and looks to just get those ideas out there; these are the valued ones that will really make a difference in the world we live in.

Compost, By Gosh is a humane and loving way to teach our children the true secrets of Mother Nature, by passing them on, from parent (grandparent) to child (4-9) through the kind of storytelling that really makes a difference in a childs life.

Compost, By Gosh is the road to a more sustainable future through family vermicomposting, and it begins with our children; today.

This is not just a full comprehensive guide to transforming the novice composter into an expert within a 208 page paperback, measuring 5.5 x 8.5 and weighing only 295 grams; its a quick and easy way to acquire both basic gardening techniques and an overall understanding of the range of alternative living methods used by those looking for the path to sustainability.

Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator was first published in October of 2003 by New Society Publishers and written by Spring Gillard, who is a powerful storyteller that takes you into the fascinating realm of better, greener living in urban agriculture the world over beginning with her day to day experiences of what makes for good healthy humus and a more sustainable lifestyle.

Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator makes for a great gift idea for the curious in what all the big hype with compost and sustainability is, perhaps even indirectly helping to create a better tomorrow, by just letting us think a little about those alternatives.

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For ages 4-8, this 32-page hardcover published by Dutton Juvenile in May of 1993 measures 11.1 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches and ships at 12.5 ounces.

Bianca Lavies is a professional photographer with an eye for natures most glorious moments, and by constructing her own compost pile at home, she observes in as only an artist can, through images, a year of bacteria, insects, worms and crustaceans all working down loads of household food scraps into fertile soil.

Rich detail and color, Lavies has experienced the most sublime aspects of a process that most people choose to ignore, and brought those experiences to life for all to see and feel.

Compost Critters even has an essay that clarifies and informs with factual information, broadening youngsters concepts in a very special and beautiful way.

Bianca Lavies even goes so far as to plant tomato vines around her compost pile, showing respect for lifes wonders and the joy that we as humans can have in the role as stewards here on earth.

Compost Critters is a truly wonderful display of Nature, through art, respect, love and joy, that our children will understand, accept and hopefully; live for.

This book is an overview of the history of agriculture, the applications of compost preparation, the practicality of organic spray as well as the biodynamic philosophy behind these techniques.

According to biodynamics, keeping our gardens sustainable is one of the first steps to healing the world, and it is something that everyone can do at home by using the most simplest of household wastes, organic compost.

Through creative techniques that have a long history of usage throughout the world, biodynamics challenges the sustainable gardener to prove these (often dubbed esoteric) philosophies scientifically.

Best of all, this stuff works! Biodynamics is an older term for what is now a trend in gardening, self-reliance, the all-American do-it-yourself sempra-fi attitude that just might save us from our own outlandish energy consumption in the past century and a half.

This introduction to biodynamic agriculture was written by Manfred Klett (over twenty years of experience), former director of the Department of Agriculture at the Goetheanum in Switzerland.

Klett is the founder of a biodynamic farming community in Germany and this book deals with the very basics of biodynamic agriculture; based on lectures by the author from the BAA (Biodynamic Agriculture Association).

This 110-page paperback published by Floris Books in its second edition in April of 2006 measuring 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches and shipping at 3.5 ounces is a great way to begin using sustainable agriculture as not merely a way of caring for the earth, but in living a better life.

Principles of Biodynamic Spray and Compost Preparations helps us understand the core philosophy, background and techniques behind biodynamics, which may just lead to a deeper understanding of our own lives; healing ourselves, through the healing of the Earth itself.

As the editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening Magazine for seven years, Mike McGrath has never stopped studying or looking for the best up-to-date information for his Public Radio Show You Bet Your Gardenon 91FM and his Book of Compost is all the most useful information in one tome of knowledge.

Tips that anybody can use such as how to keep the driveway and yard leaf free, while recycling those leaves at four parts for every one part kitchen scraps into a cold-pile, or how to get a worm bin setup by yourself in small urban spaces without yards.

Mike McGraths Book of Compost is a 128-page paperback published by Sterling in August of 2006 measuring 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches and shipping at 6.4 ounces.

Years of experience, research and knowledge about what the average gardener is looking for at home and how to take that knowledge into his/her own life from doing good to the environment can be found in Mike McGrath’s Book of Compost.

Stu Campbell breaks the art of composting down. The novice thinking of composting as a dirty activity will surely begin to change ones mind, turning it into a fun and exciting pastime that touches the spiritual realm of gardening.

This 160 page paperback measures 9 x 6 x 0.5, ships at 8.8 ounces and makes for an inspiring refresher for those that already know how to compost, Stu Campbell makes an effort to keep the information highly detailed and easy to read for the general reader.

Let it Rot not only gets into reasons to compost, but also shows differing approaches, how decomposition works, various methods, ingredients, rate of breakdown, how to use the humus, how decomposition itself works and even how to build bins.

This book contains aesthetically pleasing sketches as well as black and white illustrations and diagrams that please the eye and answer questions at a glance.

A list of sources, supplies and a bibliography (14 titles) make this revolutionary book from 1975 a classic must-not-miss for those building a compost library at home.

All information you needed for your first composting project at home, this thirty year old best seller is a classic among composters; Let it Rot will change your outlook on composting forever.

A parent or teacher looking to get into the world of vermicomposting for the very first time will get a wide picture of how to teach this ancient art form in a way that children find it fun and exciting, just by flipping through the pages.

Worms Eat My Garbage was written by a woman who really understood thesacred cycle of life, and her 30 years of experience with worms goes beyond academic, Mary Appelhof was passionate in life, and her passion lives on through her work and those she touched through her work.

Learn with illustrations and easy to follow information, how to set up a small-scale worm composting system, choosing worms, how to take care of the worms, harvesting them, their sex life, how to prepare bedding, how to meet their needs, foods they eat and the potting soil they possess.

This 162 page do-it-yourself vermiculturing guide for kids has 50 illustrations, measures 5.5 x 8.5 and has a 63 page bibliography with 24 references that grab parents attention and take students to further curiosities.

Worms Eat My Garbage is a work of art that touches the lives of our future generations, and shows us how easy (and fun) it really can be to understand and experience Mother Natures truest magic really close-up.

Worms Eat My Garbage is an extension of Mary Appelhofs knowledge of vermiculture, and touches those who really do make our world a different place; our children.

Related:
Mary Appelhof

The Rodale Book of Composting has easy methods of doing-it-yourself from the small-scale to the industrial scale and uses language that is both inspirational as well as informative.

This book puts all the need to know information right in one 278 page paperback measuring 9 x 6.4 x 0.7 and shipping at 12.8 ounces.

With the history of composting, materials, methods, structures, uses and equipment all put into a half-scientific, half-anecdotal writing style, this is a fun read to say the least.

Chemical reactions are described in detail, the different forms of life that inhabit the a given pile throughout the breakdown procedure, from the initial hot pile to the later cold pile and different ways to get different results with line drawings that makeeverything comprehensible.

Charts and ingredients that indicate the difference between a brown (carbon) and a green (nitrogen), which is which and in what extent will give you what kind of humus are an essential to understanding the deeper scientific principles of composting; The Rodale Book of Composting does all this for you.

The whole art of composting on your own, the easy way, would never be complete without unique and genius ways to build your very own compost bin, this is saved for last.

The Rodale Book of Composting does something incredible for our community, it breaths the magical life of inspiration back into our hearts, putting us once again in touch with the earth, through a natural and easily understood communication vehicle; the written word.

The Rodale Book of Composting provides every comprehensive tidbit of information about this ancient art of low-tech sustainability, for a world that is just now, waking once again to the realities of our way of life.

Mr. Joe Jenkins has written a book for the really passionate do-it-yourself composting enthusiast. His book, “The Humanure Handbook — a Guide to Composting Human Manure” is filled with research and bibliographies that teach us step by step, what we should really be doing with our sewage, rather than discharging it into the toilet. If low-tech off the grid solutions to sanitary challenges and sustainable systems is a major concern for you, then The Humanure Handbook should definitely be on your bibliography.

Discharging human sewage into water creates blackwater, a complete waste of precious H2O. The Humanure Handbook shows how to dispose of humane manure in an environmentally safe and productive way, producing completely clean fertilizer and humus.

Most people think that something as ugly and smelly as human fecal material could not, nor should ever, be used as compost in edible food gardens. Mr. Jenkins argues that human compost can be just as healthy as horse, chicken or any other animal manure once properly exposed to the breakdown process of thermophilic composting.

In chapter 6 of The Humanure Handbook; Fecophobia and The Pathogen Issue, Mr. Jenkins describes fecophobia as “The belief that humanure is unsafe for agricultural use…” a term he admittedly made up himself. This seems to be the most important issue to be studied, people’s fear of humanure.

Basically, that people are afraid of composting their sewage seems to be what hinders the development of a more sustainable civilization for everyone. But what people fail to realize is that by the correct practice of thermophilic composting, all harmful pathogens are permanently destroyed. The Humanure Handbook explains in simple terms as well as scientifically, how this process happens.

Mr. Joe Jenkins’ book is available in over 60 countries around the world; it is a viable solution for those who want to live off the grid from city sewage. Avoiding the contamination of water all together is his proposal through the self-development of your very own composting toilet for only 25$.

A composting toilet is nothing more than a bucket filled with number one, number two, toilet paper and sawdust or moss (how you make it look nice however, is what costs money). Putting a good layer of sawdust over the top of any fecal material neutralizes foul odors completely, and prepares the compost for the thermophilic process.

The thermophilic process begins in an outdoor composting bin protected from rain and protected from contact with soil.

Thermophilic composting correctly is a matter of making sure that the compost is reaching heat levels far above those of the human body, thereby neutralizing anything that could possibly be living in human organic wastes.

In order to make sure all the harmful microorganisms are completely destroyed, it is important to make the compost heap reach these high-temperatures many times. Mr. Jenkins’ own compost pile at home is an average size and takes about one year to become rich and useful compost material that is both safe and clean for plants and people alike.

For those who are looking for the perfect booklet to do-it-yourself human manure composting at home, The Humanure Handbook by Joe Jenkins is the perfect manual. Humanure is not just for the lone hippie stuck in the 70’s, this book has a reach that goes beyond living out in the woods.

Humanure is a safe and productive alternative for urban spaces and on whole community level scales, if not one day perhaps, even nationally. The author’s speculation is that those that would most benefit from humanure techniques are those living in places where epidemics and sanitation is a serious concern. If you like low-tech off the grid solutions to sanitation and sustainable systems, this book The Humanure Handbook, is definitely one to be read.