Download or read book Compost Vermicompost and Compost Tea written by Grace Gershuny and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2011-04-15 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the advantages of making one's own compost? Is there really a benefit to using compost as opposed to building soil organic matter through other means? How can the decision about compost making affect a farm's economics? Part of the NOFA Guides series, this manual will help answer these questions, and is specifically intended to address the conditions faced by organic farmers in the Northeast. Information on composting techniques, including: Principles and biology of composting Temperature, aeration and moisture control Composting methods Materials (additives and inoculants, biodynamic preparations) About costs (site preparation, equipment, labor and time) What do you do with it? Compost tea and other brewed microbial cultures Compost and the law With extended appendices including a recipe calculator, potting mix recipes, and a sample compost production budget sheet.
Download or read book Compost Vermicompost and Compost Tea written by Grace Gershuny and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Project of the Northeast Organic Farming Association."
Download or read book Composting for the Absolute Beginner written by Dede Cummings and published by Skyhorse. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the various methods of composting and how to adapt them to your home and garden. With full-color photographs and easy-to-follow instructions, this will be an essential addition to every gardener’s library. Great compost is one of the most important secrets of successful organic gardening. Topics covered here include: What you can and can’t throw on your compost pile How to balance nitrogen and carbon in your pile for quick decomposition and rich compost Buying or building the best tools and containers Vermicomposting How to compost indoors Troubleshooting smelly compost, dry compost, and other problems How and when to apply the compost to your garden beds With growing concerns about the use of pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs in mainstream gardening practices, more and more families are turning to their backyards to grow their own food using methods they know are safe. The need for clear, straightforward instruction on organic gardening techniques has never been greater. With Composting for Absolute Beginners, readers will get the information they need to prepare their gardens for healthy, abundant crops.
Download or read book The Worm Farmer s Handbook written by Rhonda Sherman and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2018-11-08 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Choice Reviews, Outstanding Academic Title Techniques and systems for processing food scraps, manure, yard debris, paper, and more Turning waste into wealth sounds too good to be true, but many worm farmers are finding that vermicomposting is a reliable way to do just that. Vermicast—a biologically active, nutrient-rich mix of earthworm castings and decomposed organic matter—sells for $400 or more per cubic yard. Compare that to regular compost, sold at about $30 a cubic yard, and you’ll see why vermicomposting has taken root in most countries and on every continent but Antarctica. Vermicomposting is also one of the best sustainable solutions for organic waste management. Vermicomposting manure and crop wastes on farms improves crop yields while reducing demand for off-farm inputs. Vermicast has higher nutrient levels and lower soluble salt content than regular compost, and it improves soil aeration, porosity, and water retention. Plus, vermicast suppresses plant diseases and insect attacks. Municipalities, businesses, community gardens, schools, and universities can set up vermicomposting operations to process food residuals and other waste materials. The Worm Farmer’s Handbook details the ins and outs of vermicomposting for mid- to large-scale operations, including how to recycle organic materials ranging from food wastes and yard trimmings to manure and shredded office paper. Vermicomposting expert Rhonda Sherman shares what she has learned over twenty-five years working with commercial worm growers and researchers around the world. Her profiles of successful worm growers across the United States and from New Zealand to the Middle East and Europe describe their proven methods and systems. This book digs into all the details, including: Choosing the right production system Regulatory issues and developing a business and marketing plan Finding and managing feedstocks Pre-composting: why and how to do it Monitoring an active worm bed Harvesting, screening, testing, packaging, and storing vermicast Markets for earthworms and vermicast Food security: how vermicast benefits soils and plants Keys to success: avoiding common pitfalls From livestock farms and restaurants to colleges, military bases, and prisons, Sherman details why and how commercial-scale vermicomposting is a fast-growing, sustainable solution for organic waste management. The Worm Farmer’s Handbook is the first and only authoritative how-to guide that goes beyond small-scale operations and demystifies the science and logistics of the fascinating process that is vermicomposting.
Download or read book Garden Myths written by Robert Pavlis and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-26 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Garden Myths examines over 120 horticultural urban legends. Turning wisdom on its head, Robert Pavlis dives deep into traditional garden advice and debunks the myths and misconceptions that abound. He asks critical questions and uses science-based information to understand plants and their environment. Armed with the truth, Robert then turns this knowledge into easy-to-follow advice. - Is fall the best time to clean the garden? - Do bloom boosters work?- Will citronella plants reduce mosquitoes in the garden?- Do pine needles acidify soil?- Should tomatoes be suckered?- Should trees be staked at planting time? - Can burlap keep your trees warm in winter?- Will a pebble tray increase humidity for houseplants? "Garden Myths is a must-read for anyone who wants to use environmentally sound practices. This fascinating and informative book will help you understand plants better, reduce unnecessary work, convince you to buy fewer products and help you enjoy gardening more."
Download or read book Worms at Work written by Crystal Stevens and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2017-06-23 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural , nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield. In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage includes: Simple designs to build your own vermicompost bin Caring for your worms Garden applications for your worm castings Lesson plans to incorporate vermicomposting into the school science curriculum Whether you're tending to a small backyard garden or managing a large farm, Worms at Work can show you how to start vermicomposting today in order to grow healthy plants in healthy, happy soil.
Download or read book The Permaculture Student 1 the Workbook written by Matt Powers and published by . This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Permaculture Student 1 Workbook is a guide with recipes, formulas & diagrams to help anyone analyze, understand, and plan their own home site. Whether you need to make a topographic map, create a series of climate analogs, arrange the zones, or plot the sunpath or sun angles, this workbook will safely guide you and help you to stay on track. Not to be missed - this is where the knowledge you acquire in the textbook is applied.
Download or read book Organic Fertilizers written by Marcelo L. Larramendy and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2019-11-20 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, Organic Fertilizers - History, Production and Applications, aims to provide an update on research issues related to organic fertilizers, highlighting their importance in sustainable agriculture and the environment. We aimed to compile information from diverse sources into a single volume and to give some real-life examples, extending the appreciation of organic fertilizers that may stimulate new research ideas and trends in relevant fields. The contributions in this field of research are gratefully acknowledged. The publication of this book is of great importance for those researchers, scientists, engineers, teachers, graduate students, agricultural agronomists, farmers and crop producers who can use these different investigations to understand the advantages of using organic fertilizers.
Download or read book Compost Tea Making written by Marc Remillard and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2010-07-15 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compost Tea Making is the first comprehensive, practical guide to creating compost tea for farms, orchards, vineyards, lawns, and gardens. This essential reference book explains why compost teas have such powerful, beneficial effects for all plants. The global compost tea revolution is in its infancy. Readers will begin to grasp the importance of rejuvenating the microbial life in our agricultural soils world-wide. Seasoned with the authors incurable dry humor, elegant prose, photographs, and interviews with professionals, this book demystifies the often-confusing ideas and techniques used to make compost teas. With simple recipes, techniques, and equipment, the actual making of compost tea is easy. Learn why compost teas are so powerful and effective--How to brew compost teas--Compost tea applications--How to put together a simple compost tea brewer--How to make compost specifically for compost teas. How to create worm castings for compost teas--How to build practical, movable worm bins--How to combine EM products with compost tea to increase its potency
Download or read book The Worm Farming Revolution written by Pauly Piccirillo and published by Outskirts Press. This book was released on 2016-03-23 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Worm Farming Revolution Book teaches you everything you need to know about raising worms in order to grow amazing plants, recycle kitchen scraps, or grow your own fishing worms. It's a Return to the Founding Principles of Successful Gardening and an almost lost art our forefathers past down to us. Just because our technology changes and our knowledge increases doesn't mean that we have to invent something that's completely opposite of what the Creator showed us. A new way of feeding millions of people doesn't have to oppose nature, but should work with nature. I show you how to harness and multiply the power of a tiny organism that corporations and many people have become disconnected with. We have gone down a dark agricultural road with too few exits to get us back in the right direction. The technology of today combined with the proven methods of the past is where science should have lead us. But where "scientists" have failed, there has been a revolt. Not in a new way, but the reviving of a forgotten way. If you've never heard of the term "Worm Farming" then it may seem like a silly, eccentric hobby created to study the natural habits of worms. Well that may be true to some degree, but the truth, meaning, and reason behind this quirky little phrase may be one of the greatest yet simplest technological awakenings to hit the agricultural industry since the invention of, what I call, the world's most "successful failures..".synthetic fertilizers. No matter what gardening method you use, the fact is, you WILL need worm castings (worm poop) in order to give plants the proper food they were created to feed on. Worm castings are as natural to plants as breast milk to a new born baby. This is one of the reasons why worms are found moving in and out of the root systems of plants. They deposit the rich, microbial fertilizer that plants depend on for optimal health. This book teaches you how to grow your plants by, FIRST, growing your soil. You'll learn everything you
Download or read book Easy Compost written by Brooklyn Botanic Garden and published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This book was released on 1997 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes information on composting's history; tips on equipment; tips for difficult climes; composting indoors; making humus in small spaces; and using compost in the garden.
Download or read book Handbook on Vermicomposting Requirements Methods Advantages and Applications written by Manish Kumar Singh and published by Anchor Academic Publishing (aap_verlag). This book was released on 2014-04-10 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now-a-days the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture has reached its peak. This harms the human health as well as environment. The process of agricultural modernization has been an important contributing factor towards this. This deprives the land from its fertility and leaves it unfit for further agricultural operations. Hence, a better alternative of such chemical monsters is required to overcome these ill-effects. Therefore, a shift from chemical to organic farming is appreciated. Production efficiency, economic efficiency and employment generation efficiency of any system is a direct measure of its preferability. Therefore, this study deals with the requirements, methods, advantages, etc. of vermicomposting as well as its applications in agriculture. The main purpose of this process is the quick and efficient conversion of the organic waste materials into the nutritious fertilizer for plants.
Download or read book The Mini Farming Guide to Composting written by Brett L. Markham and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maximize your vegetable output! Increase your self-sufficiency! And be kind to the ecosystem! Brett L Markham, author of Mimi Farming: Self Suffering on 1/4 Acre, is here to help you get started in his new handbook that covers everything you need to know about composting. Whether it's your mini farm or flower garden that need nourishment, Markham explains how to compost just about anything you can grow - and reminds us that developing your own composting practices not only can be fun but also saves money and encourages self-sufficiency. Learn to make a backyard compost structure with Brett's easy-to-follow directions and learn the science behind how your food scraps become food for plants. In the Mini Farming Guide to Composting you'll find easy instructions that make composting simple.
Download or read book Worms Eat My Garbage 35th Anniversary Edition written by Mary Appelhof and published by Storey Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2017-12-26 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than three decades, this best-selling guide to the practice of vermicomposting has taught people how to use worms to recycle food waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for houseplants or gardens. Small-scale, self-contained worm bins can be kept indoors, in a basement, or even under the kitchen sink in an apartment — making vermicomposting a great option for city dwellers and anyone who doesn’t want or can’t have an outdoor compost pile. The fully revised 35th anniversary edition features the original’s same friendly tone, with up-to-date information on the entire process, from building or purchasing a bin (readily available at garden supply stores) to maintaining the worms and harvesting the finished compost.
Download or read book Compost City written by Rebecca Louie and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate guide to individual- and community-scale composting in small urban spaces—with illustrations, expert tips, fun DIY projects, and much more These days, everyone’s talking about compost. Along with backyard chickeners, balcony beekeepers, rooftop farmers, and community gardeners, urban composters are part of a bumper crop of pioneers who are redefining the green space of crowded towns and cities. You may think you need a big yard to compost. Think again. Compost City teaches you how to easily choose and care for a compost system that fits perfectly into your (tiny) space, (busy) schedule, and (multifaceted) lifestyle. Whether you live in a cramped apartment or a sprawling town house, or you dream of composting in a shared space with a group of friends or colleagues, Compost City provides simple and effective indoor and outdoor composting options. Packed with research, expert testimonies, and a healthy dose of humor, this guide will help you: • Compost your food scraps and yard waste with ease • Ease your fears of backbreaking labor, obnoxious odors, big messes, and creepy crawlies (hint: you can compost successfully without any of the above!) • Convince compost-wary family, friends, neighbors, and community leaders to green-light your compost dreams Compost City serves all eco-curious citizens from casual hobbyists to staunch activists. So put your compost cap on. Whether you compost one tea bag or whole honking barrelfuls of scraps at a time, you’re about to have a whole lot of fun.
Download or read book Compost Science for Gardeners written by Robert Pavlis and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2023-01-24 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Create your own compost and grow better plants. With breathtaking clarity, Compost Science for Gardeners demystifies composting practices and helps readers determine the best technique for their unique situation. This comprehensive science-based book is your key to building healthier soil and growing better plants. Using plain language and easy-to-follow instructions, this essential resource distills and blends the latest scientific research with the author's many decades of knowledge and experience into manageable form, debunking a host of common gardening myths along the way. Learn about: The role of composting in the ecological cycle Compostable materials to incorporate and those to avoid Browns and greens vs the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio The full range of composting methods, including cold and hot composting; composting in piles, bins, and tumblers; and pit and trench composting Keyhole gardening, food digesters, vermicomposting, bokashi, eco-enzyme fermentation, and more The relative merits and impact on the environment of each composting technique Using finished compost to improve soil health Anyone can compost. Whether you are a balcony or backyard gardener, market gardener, small-scale farmer, or homesteader, or even if you are simply looking for a way to keep organic matter out of the landfill, this book will show you how to do it simply, safely, and sensibly.
Download or read book Vermiculture Technology written by Clive A. Edwards and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2010-12-20 with total page 603 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the dramatic growth and changes in the field of vermicomposting since 1988, this comprehensive review assesses the advancements made in government-funded projects in the U.S. and UK. It discusses outdoor and indoor windrows, container systems, wedge systems, and low labor-requirements. It also examines fully-automated continuous flow vermicomposting reactor systems that can process more than 1000 tons of organic wastes per reactor. The book highlights the science and biology behind the use and efficacy of vermicomposting and details the technology of the past, present, and future.
