The comprehensive guide to individual- and community-scale composting in the city, using small-space living, limited backyard space, and urban density to your advantage.
Contents
Preface
…in which a long lost friend returns in a puff of compost magic.
1. Composting: Yes, You Can
…because you will be wowed by compost’s benefits and overcome your
compost
fears.
2. What Is Composting?
…or, how intimidating sciencey things become ludicrously accessible
and
interesting.
3. The Very Basic Concepts Behind Making Compost
…surprise, it’s not that much
work!
4. Outdoor Composting: Above Ground Systems
…holding units, single and multistage bins, and tumblers wow
you.
5. Outdoor Composting: Going Underground
…can you dig it? Trenches, digesters, and lasagna
composting.
6. The Wormderful World of Indoor Vermiculture
…embrace the wordplay and get yourself some worms
7. Bokashi Fermentation
…a pickle you want to get
into.
8. Urban Farmyard
…so many compostable animal poops in the concrete jungle!
9. Get Organized! Community Composting
…there’s no need to go
solo.
10. Join the Green Party: Eco-Taining!
…much less creepy than hiring a
clown.
Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
REBECCA LOUIE, a certified Master Composter, is also a journalist, beekeeper, and friend to all worms. She divides her time between New York City and the Catskill Mountains. To learn more about Rebecca and her work, please visit rebeccalouie.com and thecompostess.com.
“You’ve never seen a book on composting like this one—it’s
wonderful. No excuses, no putting it off. Compost City guides
even the most squeamish sophisticate into delightful
partnership with browns, greens, and worms.”—Joel Salatin,
farmer, author, and educator at Polyface Farm
“A master composter and real-life eco-hero wielding a worm fork,
Rebecca Louie makes composting fun, inviting, and accessible to
everyone from beginners to gardening pros. She renews my faith
in a sustainable future, and will inspire yours.”—Gabrielle
Langholtz, editor of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn
“Compost City is a must-read for any would-be composter, urban or
otherwise. In an informative, whimsical way, Rebecca Louie de-icks
composting, debunks its myths, and DIY-ifies its methods. By the
end, you’ll be able to compost this book, but you
wouldn’t dream of doing so for fear of losing a vital
resource.”—Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland and creator
of wastedfood.com
“Shelburne Farms is always looking for new ways to connect teachers
and students with agriculture that goes beyond their time here on
the farm. Compost is a crucial component to healthy food systems,
but you don't need 1,400 acres to practice this. Compost City
illustrates all you need to know about recycling food, no matter
how small the space at home or school. We believe that learning
should be infused with joy and wonder, and Louie does just that
with her fun, engaging style. Compost City will be well-used
in our library.”—Alec Webb, President of Shelburne Farms, VT
“Composting is a great way to give back to the miraculous organism
that is soil, and Rebecca Louie’s informative, hands-on, highly
entertaining how-to makes this complex process real and doable for
the home composter. It’s a fun read, and more important, it’s
full of technical information and specific tips that empower anyone
to go forth and compost successfully. Thank you, Rebecca! Compost
City will help heal our cities and soil.”—Deborah Koons Garcia,
writer, director, and producer of Symphony of the Soil and The
Future of Food
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