Louie - Compost city: practical composting know-how for small-space living

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, youll be able to compost this book, but you wouldnt dream of doing so for fear of losing a vital resource.

Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland and creator of wastedfood.com

ABOUT THE BOOK

These days, everyones 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, Compost City 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.

Put your compost cap on. Whether you compost one tea bag or whole honking barrelfuls of scraps at a time, youre about to have a whole lot of fun.

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.

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COMPOST CITY

Practical Composting Know-How for Small-Space Living

REBECCA LOUIE

Boston & London

2015

Roost Books

An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Horticultural Hall

300 Massachusetts Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

roostbooks.com

2015 by Rebecca Louie

Cover illustration and design by Jim Zaccaria

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Illustrations by Rebecca Louie and Chris Clement

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Louie, Rebecca.

Compost city: practical composting know-how for small-space living/ Rebecca Louie.First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

eISBN 978-0-8348-0018-2

ISBN 978-1-61180-220-7 (alk. paper)

1. Compost. I. Title. II. Title: Practical composting know-how for small-space living.

S661.L68 2015

631.875dc23

2014028101

CONTENTS

... in which compost transforms you into a fantastically popular superbeing

... because you will be wowed by composts benefits and will overcome your compost fears

... or, how intimidating, sciencey things become ludicrously accessible and interesting

... Surprise, its not that much work!

... open-air bins, enclosed bins, and tumblers wow you

... Can you dig this? Trenches, sheet composting, and digesters

... embrace the wordplay and get yourself some worms

... a pickle you want to get into

... so many compostable animal poops in the concrete jungle!

... theres no need to go solo

... more fun than hiring a clown

What would you say if I told you that reading this book and doing some of the things in it would yield the following results:

• Give you wizardlike powers of transformation over all sorts of organic matter
• Indulge your fantasies of being an overlord/master puppeteer/chief operating officer/benevolent dictator/personal trainer/positive enabler over millions of organisms
• Make you utterly fascinating to the people around you for a minimum of eight minutes* at any potluck/kids party/BBQ/corporate function/PTA meeting/pub crawl/first date, and so on (*Actual times may vary based on an individuals speaking speed.)
• Help you save the world

Once perceived as the exclusive purview of country folks with rolling fields, composting is actually an accessible and fun activity that is transforming the landscape of even the slickest of cities worldwide.

Whether you live in a microscopic studio or a sprawling townhouse, there are many easy ways you can turn your food and garden waste into black gold. Ready to master the art of urban composting?

Read on to find out how.

First things first.

Anyone can compost anywhere. Seriously.

Tiny studio apartments? Check.

Little kids with the attention span of gnats? Check.

Lazy, disorganized, overextended, underexercised, meat-and-Cheetoseating, stiletto-rocking, critter-fearing, agoraphobic and/or nature-compromised city and suburban folks who have never seen a haystack or a cow pie in their lives? Check! (Oh, and FYI: A cow pie is not a pie made with beef but actually a poop patty. If you thought the former, no worries. You dont need to be fluent in farm talk to be a compost pro.)

You can even make a party out of it. A literal party. As in: Cocktails! Snacks! Goodie bags! Friends! (Wait until you get to chapter 10. You will soon be making edible grape earthworms for guests, with or without the vodka... trust me.)

And in case you were wondering if your book club, PTA, Zumba for Zebras charity group, or Dungeons & Dragons Wizard Council might be game to join your compost-buddy roster, the answer is also a resounding check. Nothing bonds a group better than playing with peels while saving the earth.

Now, you may have skeptics, naysayers, or Debbie and Danny Downers in your life who want to put a damper on your desire to compost. They keep insisting that compost

• smells bad,
• attracts pests,
• requires outdoor space,
• is a ton of work,
• makes a mess,
• takes up a lot of room,
• will make your neighbors hate you, and
• is gross.

I get it. There are some bad compost piles out there, just like there are bad eggs, bad apples, and bad brownies (just kidding, there is no such thing as a bad brownie). Composts bad rep comes from mismanaged piles made with the best of intentions but the worst of upkeep. Plus, your experiences with the forgotten Frankendrawers in your refrigerator make you a little leery of cozying up with decomposing food.

The good news is that by reading this book, youll learn how to easily choose and care for a compost system that fits perfectly into your (tiny) space, (busy) schedule, and (multifaceted) lifestyle. Well also navigate the tricky, sticky situations that may arise when your composting endeavors cross paths with the uninitiated and compost wary.