- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) (19 Feb 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0756613418
- ISBN-13: 978-0756613419
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 15.7 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 793,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although probably written as an introduction, this is an excellent little book which covers all the key strands of composting exceptionally well; all the way from the science to the practicalities. It is packed full of useful stuff expressed in a very digestible manner, and at times you forget how much information the author is imparting.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Saw this book at a National Trust bookshop but bought it here as it was far cheaper.
Excellent information and written in an easy manner. I've got 4 compost bins and wood to make a bigger one - project for the spring. Don't bury it in landfill - compost it and give your garden a treat.
Excellent information and written in an easy manner. I've got 4 compost bins and wood to make a bigger one - project for the spring. Don't bury it in landfill - compost it and give your garden a treat.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The author is a plant biologist and senior lecturer at Sheffield University. He knows more about compost than most amateur gardeners so, unless you are a professional, you will almost certainly learn something new about compost.
The book confirms my own experience that to make really good compost you need a big bin or pit, the bigger the better. The plastic bins that local councils sell are better than just a heap but they are not big enough to generate the heat needed for good compost. A few years ago I built a compost pit near the bottom of our large garden. When our gardener stood in it to turn the contents over, he remarked how hot it was for his wellies.
We put some of the compost in troughs on the terrace and planted some drumstick primulas I had grown on from plug plants. They grew like mad in this compost with leaves like cabbages. Identical primulas planted in a garden bed grew well but not as vigorously as those in the compost. So if you have room, make a big compost bin or pit. If not, let your local council collect your garden waste then buy compost from them.
Unfortunately, the author, like so many scientists, is not a good writer. There are several sentences with no verb. There are also ambiguous sentences that you need to re-read to discern the meaning.
I blame the publishers (Dorling-Kindersley) rather than the author. They should have edited the text to make it easier to read. Instead, the team of D-K people listed at the front of the book seem to have spent more time trying to make the book look pretty. There are lots of photographs, many without captions but the text on many pages in printed on deep colours such as tan, green, purple and plum. If your eyesight is not so good, you may have difficulty reading the text of these pages. Even on the white pages of text, there are different sizes of font on the same page.
If this book goes to a second edition, it needs some severe editing. Meanwhile, if the author is writing any more books I would recommend him to learn to write clearer English. There are many books on this subject. Better still, find someone who knows how to write clearly, ask them to read your text and tell you how to make it easier to read.
The book confirms my own experience that to make really good compost you need a big bin or pit, the bigger the better. The plastic bins that local councils sell are better than just a heap but they are not big enough to generate the heat needed for good compost. A few years ago I built a compost pit near the bottom of our large garden. When our gardener stood in it to turn the contents over, he remarked how hot it was for his wellies.
We put some of the compost in troughs on the terrace and planted some drumstick primulas I had grown on from plug plants. They grew like mad in this compost with leaves like cabbages. Identical primulas planted in a garden bed grew well but not as vigorously as those in the compost. So if you have room, make a big compost bin or pit. If not, let your local council collect your garden waste then buy compost from them.
Unfortunately, the author, like so many scientists, is not a good writer. There are several sentences with no verb. There are also ambiguous sentences that you need to re-read to discern the meaning.
I blame the publishers (Dorling-Kindersley) rather than the author. They should have edited the text to make it easier to read. Instead, the team of D-K people listed at the front of the book seem to have spent more time trying to make the book look pretty. There are lots of photographs, many without captions but the text on many pages in printed on deep colours such as tan, green, purple and plum. If your eyesight is not so good, you may have difficulty reading the text of these pages. Even on the white pages of text, there are different sizes of font on the same page.
If this book goes to a second edition, it needs some severe editing. Meanwhile, if the author is writing any more books I would recommend him to learn to write clearer English. There are many books on this subject. Better still, find someone who knows how to write clearly, ask them to read your text and tell you how to make it easier to read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great book enjoyable read
What a great book and I read it cover to cover- no I am not joking I even read extracts to my partner. Read more
Published 10 months ago by helene
Anything that used to be alive can go in
This book will satiate even the most avid compost enthusiast's passion. Wow - cardboard and human hair can be a part of the mix - even vacumn cleaner dust (as long as you don't... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2007 by Greshon
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