Association The National Gardening - Composting For Dummies

Composting For Dummies

by Cathy Cromell and the Editors of The National Gardening Association

Composting For Dummies

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Copyright 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942825

ISBN: 978-0-470-58161-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Cathy Cromell is the Southwest regional reporter for the National Gardening Association (NGA). She completed the Master Composter and Master Gardener certification programs at the University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Urban Horticulture Department in Phoenix, where she also absorbed abundant hands-on experience hoisting tons of organic matter while overseeing the composting area of the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden.

As editor of Arizona Master Gardener Press at the Cooperative Extension, Cathy produced gardening books that received numerous awards. She was also a writer for Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book and a contributing writer for Gardening in the Southwest (Sunset Books).

As garden editor-at-large for Phoenix Home & Garden magazine, Cathy enjoys helping readers especially newcomers to the desert uncover the mysteries of arid land growing conditions in her monthly article, Desert Gardening 101. She also scouts earth-friendly landscapes around the Southwest to feature in the magazines Garden Talks profile. Ive never encountered a gardener who wasnt delighted to share their plant passions and gardening knowledge. Their generosity and enthusiasm inspire me to tell their stories.

The National Gardening Association (NGA) is committed to sustaining and renewing the fundamental links between people, plants, and the earth. Founded in 1972 as Gardens for All to spearhead the community garden movement, todays NGA promotes environmental responsibility, advances multidisciplinary learning and scientificliteracy, and creates partnerships that restore and enhance communities.

NGA is best known for its garden-based curricula, educational materials, international initiatives, and several youth garden grant programs. Together, these reach more than 300,000 children nationwide each year. NGAs Web sites, one for home gardeners and another for those who garden with kids, build community and offer a wealth of custom content.

To find out more about the National Gardening Association, write to 1100 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403, or visit its Web sites at www.garden.org or www.kidsgardening.org.

Dedication

To my parents, Patricia and William Cromell. Thank you for instilling me with a love of plants and nature that has sustained and nourished me throughout my life.

Authors Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Suzanne DeJohn and the National Gardening Association for this opportunity to write about one of my favorite gardening topics the inestimable benefits of rotting organic matter.

My appreciation to the exceptionally capable folks at Wiley Publishing who helped lift this project off the ground, starting with acquisitions editor Mike Baker, who championed an entire book about composting. Project editor Elizabeth Rea performed a superlative job organizing the contents to flow logically for readers. Copy editor Christy Pingleton gave an exemplary performance polishing my rambling text. My thanks, also, to Sue Fisher for her comprehensive technical review and to Barbara Frake for her finely detailed illustrations.

Im fortunate to know dozens of talented gardeners and horticulture professionals who generously share their knowledge and expertise with me. I offer special thanks to Carolyn Chard, Frank Martin, and Annette Weaver, who many years ago infected me with a virulent dose of their enthusiasm for composting; to Jo Cook, Mike Hills, and Kirti Mathura, who respond to my midnight e-mails with good humor and precise detail; and to Robyn Baker, Louisa Ballard, and Kathy Green, who remind me of all the truly important things in a plant addicts life.