Composting: The Garden Gold

 Composting: The Garden Gold, Oliver Thorne, 2023

 

The first thing to learn about composting (turning grass clippings and fallen leaves into mulch for your garden) is to Be Patient. It might take weeks, or months, for air, water and bacteria to complete the transformation.

 

You need a certain ratio of "green" items (kitchen scraps and grass clippings) to "brown" items (straw and fallen leaves). Too much of one or the other, and you might create a bad smell, or the composting process will seem to have stopped. It is necessary to use a pitchfork, or other such tool, and turn the whole pile every so often. This guarantees that air will get to all parts of the pile. You also need water, but not too much. There will be false starts, and setbacks. Don't worry about it; it's a learning process.

 

If you live in the city, there are smaller size composting kits available. You can still compost for the plants that are on your balcony, or to contribute to a community garden.

 

There are many upsides to composting, including reducing landfill waste, and helping your children to get up close and personal with the environment. This is a first-rate book that painlessly goes through the whole process. For anyone who wants to get into composting, reading this book is an excellent place to start.