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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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

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