Soil :: The Dirt Guide

Get all the dirt on soil here.

  • Soil Making News
  • How To Compost
  • Benefits Of Green Manure
  • How To Vermicompost
  • Blog
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Reviews / Books / Review of The Complete Compost Gardening Guide

Review of The Complete Compost Gardening Guide

January 16, 2012 by SoilGuide Leave a Comment

The Complete Compost Gardening Guide Written by Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin
Paperback

This is overflowing with information about composting in the kitchen and garden. They discuss simple things you can do in the house to collect your kitchen scraps like keeping a 5 gallon bucket with a secure lid just outside the kitchen door. As you prepare your meals, you throw the cuttings from your veggies into the bucket. Easily incorporating the compost process into your everyday life encourages you to continue with the process. Every few days, you will take the 5 gallon bucket and dump it into your large compost bin in the yard.

The authors include wonderfully easy and economical ways to facilitate your composting process from building an easy “sling screen compost sifter” to constructing a worm bin from a plastic storage container to preparing a more complex “Pit of Plenty.”

The Complete Compost Gardening Guide does not promote a lot of expensive products to perform your composting chores. The authors of course do discuss these products but also suggest and explain how you might be able to create the similar product function with cheaper materials. For example, in their discussion of rotating composters like the one pictured below they also explain how to build one yourself using a plastic garbage can and some bungee cords which costs a lot less.

Spin Bin Composter 60 Gallon Compost Tumbler

I’ve seen some reviews of the book that state that the book is too complicated for a novice. I don’t think that is true. I think if you read through the book in its entirety you’ll find things that you can do quite easily without too much work. As you see that those things worked and worked well, you may want to take on a few other projects/tasks that seem reasonable to you.

Reading Part 3 of the book which talks about plants for the composter’s garden, I learned that borage is a great plant for composting. This is great for me because borage has those beautiful blue blooms and the deer which are numerous in my area will stay away. During the summer, I can harvest the stems
of the borage and add it to my compost piles.

All in all this is a great book and a wonderful addition to any gardener’s library. Pick up your copy today.

Filed Under: Books, Compost, Featured, Reviews

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

The mission of Soil :: The Dirt Guide is dedicated to restoring soil to its proper place. That's right, we must be the disciples of dirt and disseminate the definitive information to the world about its creation and maintenance.

Product Search

Site Search

Product Categories

  • Accent Trees
  • Aerator
  • Ageratum
  • Angelonia
  • Annual and Perennial Bulbs for Sale
  • Annuals
  • Apple Trees
  • Apricot Trees
  • Aprium Trees
  • Audubon® Native Bushes and Shrubs
  • Audubon® Native Edible Plants
  • Audubon® Native Trees
  • Avocado Trees
  • Azalea Plants for Sale
  • Azalea Shrubs
  • Backyard Habitat
  • Bacopa Plants
  • Bare Root Shrubs
  • Bareroot Sale
  • Basil
  • Begonias
  • Best Trees for Privacy for Sale
  • Bird & Butterfly & Pollinator Plants
  • Bird Baths
  • Bird Feeders
  • Bird Food
  • Black Diamond Crape Myrtles
  • Black Diamond¬Æ Crape Myrtles
  • Blackberry Bushes
  • Blue Flowering Shrubs
  • Blue or Purple Flowering Annuals
  • Blue or Purple Flowering Perennials
  • Blueberry Bushes for Sale
  • Blueberry Plants
  • Books
    • Compost
    • Vermicompost
    • Vermicompost Books
  • Bower & Branch Holiday Gifts
  • Bulb Varieties
  • Bulbs
  • Bushes and Shrubs
  • Bushes with White Flowers for Sale
  • Buy Apple Trees
  • Buy Blue and Purple Perennial Flowers
  • Buy Currant Fruit Bushes
  • Buy Perennial Flowers and More Online
  • Buy Small Bushes for Landscaping
  • Buy Trees from a Tree Nursery
  • Calibrachoa
  • Camellia Shrubs
  • Cherry Trees
  • Citrus Trees
  • Clematis
  • Climbing Rose Plants for Sale
  • Climbing Roses
  • Climbing Vines for Sale and Other Vine Options
  • Coleus
  • Columnar Trees: Tall Skinny Trees for Sale
  • Composters
    • Compost Tumbler
    • Wire Compost Bins
  • Crape Myrtle Shrubs
  • Crocus Flower Bulbs for Sale
  • Currant Bushes
  • Dahlia Flowers
  • Deer Resistant Bulbs
  • Deer Resistant Grasses
  • Deer Resistant Groundcovers
  • Deer Resistant Perennials
  • Deer Resistant Roses
  • Deer Resistant Trees
  • Deer-Resistant Shrubs
  • DIY Kits
  • Drought Tolerant Grasses
  • Drought Tolerant Perennials
  • Dwarf Trees & Shrubs
  • Edible Bulbs
  • Euonymus Groundcover
  • Evergreen Vines
  • Everyday Gifts
  • Fall Color Shrubs
  • Fall Planting Bulbs
  • False Cypress Shrubs
  • Ferns
  • Fertilizer and Weed Control
  • Fig Trees
  • First Editions Plants
  • Flowering Pear Trees for Sale and More
  • Flowering Trees
  • Flowering Vines
  • Fountains & Ponds
  • Fruit Bearing
  • Fruit Plants for Sale
  • Full Shade Annuals
  • Full Sun Annuals
  • Full Sun Perennials
  • Gaillardia
  • Garden
  • Garden Decor
  • Garden Rose Bushes for Sale
  • Gardenia Bushes
  • Gift Boxes
  • Gifts
  • Gooseberry Bushes
  • Groundcovers
  • Grow Kits
  • Growing Grapes with Grape Vines for Sale
  • Heather Shrubs
  • Hedge Trees
  • Herbs
  • Holiday Plants
  • Home & Garden
  • Home & Kitchen
  • Home D√©cor
  • Homestead and Heritage Cooking Collection
  • Honeysuckle Vines
  • Houseplants
  • Hydrangea Shrubs for Sale
  • Impatiens
  • Iris Flowers
  • Ivy Plants
  • Jujube Trees for Sale
  • Kumquat Trees
  • Large Annuals
  • Lawn & Garden Care
  • Lawn Care
  • Lawn Grass
  • Lemon Trees
  • Lime
  • Lime Trees
  • Mandarin Trees
  • Mixed Flower Bulbs
  • Nectarine Fruit Trees for Sale
  • Nectarine Trees
  • New Arrivals
  • NH Christmas Ideas
  • Nut Trees
  • Oakleaf Hydrangeas
  • Olive Trees
  • Online Fruit Tree Nursery
  • Online Grass Nursery
  • Orange Trees
  • Ornamental Grasses
  • Ornamental Trees
  • Outdoor D√©cor
  • Outdoor Entertaining
  • Outdoor Furniture
  • Outdoor Wall D√©cor
  • Partial Sun Annuals
  • Patio
  • Peach Trees
  • Pear Trees
  • Peppers
  • Perennial Grasses for Sale and Other Grass Options
  • Perennials
  • Persimmon Trees
  • Pest and Disease Control
  • Petunias
  • Pink Flowering Shrubs for Sale
  • Planters & Raised Beds
  • Plants and Seeds
    • Butterfly Attractor
    • Clover
    • Green Manure
    • Groundcover
    • Red Clover
    • Seeds
  • Plants Under $25
  • Plum Trees
  • Pluot Trees
  • Pluot Trees for Sale
  • Pomegranate Trees
  • Privacy Trees
  • Proven Winners Plants
  • Prune Trees
  • Purple Flowering Shrubs
  • Quince Shrubs
  • Raspberry Plants
  • Red Flowering Shrubs
  • Red Twig Dogwoods
  • Rose Books
  • Roses
  • Russian Sage
  • Sedum
  • Seeds
    • Outsidepride
  • Shop By Type
  • Shop By Variety
  • Soil & Fertilizers
  • Soil Amendments
  • Soils & Amendments
  • Southern Grown Plants
  • Spring 2022 Deals
  • Spring Flower Bulbs
  • Spring Planting Bulbs
  • Succulents
  • Summer Flowering Perennials for Sale
  • Tabletop Christmas Trees
  • Tangerine Trees
  • Terrarium Kits
  • The simple, flexible construction makes this system perfect for raised garden beds.
  • Tomatoes
  • Tools
    • Compost Aerator
    • Manure Forks
    • Pruners
  • Tools and Supplies
  • Torenia
  • Tree Form
  • Trees
  • Tropical Trees
  • Types of Bushes and Shrubs
  • Types of Evergreen Trees for Sale
  • Uncategorized
  • Variegated Plants
  • Varieties of Wetland Plants for Sale
  • Vegetable Plants
  • Vermicompost
    • Red Wigglers
  • Vines Off The Beaten Path
  • Where to Buy Cherry Trees for Sale
  • Where to Buy Fig Trees for Sale
  • Where to Buy Kumquat Trees for Sale
  • White Flowering Annuals
  • Wild Bird Supplies
  • Wildlife Feed & Feeders
  • Wildlife Trees
  • Willow Plants for Sale
  • Winter Interest Shrubs
  • Witch Hazel Shrubs for Sale
  • Yard & Garden Must-Haves
  • Yellow or Orange Flowering Annuals
Dynamic Banner: 300x250

Looking For Creeping Thyme?

Find the creeping thyme option for your needs.

how to get creeping thyme for your home

Find out more about creeping thyme.


Ready To Start Your Worm Bin?

You can purchase Uncle Jim's Red Worms from Amazon.

red worms for composting

Find out more about red worms for composting.

Note: The owner of this site is an affiliate of the products promoted.

Tags

building a compost bin cooperative extension cover crop green manure groundcover how to compost how to make compost making compost making humus nightcrawlers red clover red wigglers red worms soil erosion soil testing turning the compost pile turning under green manure what is compost what is humus worm bins

Categories

  • Books
  • Building Soil
  • Compost
  • Featured
  • Green Manure
  • Healthy Food
  • leaves
  • Nature Hill Bulbs
  • Reviews
  • Soil Erosion
  • Soil Making News
  • Urban Gardening
  • Vermicompost
  • Video
Get Out n About Travel Blog
Hydrangea Planter

Copyright © 2022 News Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Note: The owner of this site is an affiliate of the products promoted.

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC.
THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.